ACCIDENTAL HYPOTHERMIA

Five rewarming techniques, appropriate for first-aid use in the non-hospital setting, were applied to each of nine subjects whose body temperatures has been lowered to 35 degrees C in a stirred tank of 7.5 degrees C water. The rewarming techniques were as follows: (a) Shivering, (b) Inhalation of heated, water-saturated oxygen, (c) Placement of heating pads over areas of high heat transfer, (d) Combination of methods (b) and (c), (e) Hot whirlpool bath. Inhalation of heated, water-saturated oxygen was significantly better than the shivering control in terms of minimizing temperature "afterdrop", and is therefore preferred over the other techniques as it avoids the physiological hazards associated with the peripheral vasodilation which accompanies external rewarming. 3. This report represents a comparison of some rewarming methods with inhalation of warmed, water-saturated oxygen by human volunteers in states of mild hypothermia. A broader comparison is needed and further tests should be conducted to determine the affect of this method of rewarming deeply hypothermic victims. These tests are scheduled to begin in the fiscal years of 1977 and 1978.

• Corporate Authors:

  United States Coast Guard

  2100 Second Street, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20593

  Victoria University

  Victoria, BC  Canada 

  Naval Regional Medical Center

  Bremerton, WA  United States 
• Authors:
  • Steinman, A M
  • Collis, M L
  • Chanel, R D
• Publication Date: 1976-5

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 52 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Cold weather; First aid; Hypothermia; Survival
• Subject Areas: Marine Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00147528
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: United States Coast Guard
• Report/Paper Numbers: Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-CG-61914-A
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 16 1977 12:00AM