HypothermiaMedical Author:
Chad S Crystal, MD
Coauthor:
John G McManus Jr, MD
Medical Editor:
Scott H Plantz, MD, FAAEM
Medical Editor:
Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD
Medical Editor:
Jeter (Jay) Pritchard Taylor III, MD
Hypothermia OverviewHypothermia is defined as a core, or internal, body temperature of less than 95°F (35°C). The tragic tales of people falling into icy lakes are poignant examples of hypothermia. Anyone exposed to cold temperatures, whether for work or recreation, may be at risk of becoming too cold. Hypothermia has been a military problem ever since Hannibal lost nearly half of his troops while crossing the Pyrenees Alps in 218 B.C. and has continued to plague military campaigns through both world wars and the Korean War. Today, with the popularity of an expanding number of winter sports and increasing at-risk populations, hypothermia has slowly become a civilian, urban problem. |
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Hypothermia
Frostbite Overview
Frostbite occurs when tissues freeze. This condition happens when you are exposed to temperatures below the freezing point of skin. Hypothermia is the condition of developing an abnormally low body temperature. Frostbite and hypothermia are both cold-related emergencies.
The condition has long been recognized. A 5000-year-old pre-Columbian mummy discovered in the Chilean mountains offers the earliest documented evidence of frostbite. More recently, Napoleon's surgeon general, Baron Dominique Larrey, provided the first description of the mechanisms of frostbite in 1812, during his army's retreat from Moscow. He also noted the harmful effects of the freeze-thaw-freeze cycle endured by soldiers who would warm their frozen hands and feet over the campfire at night only to refreeze those same parts by the next morning.
Although frostbite used to be a military problem, it is now a civilian one as well. The nose, cheeks, ...
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Hypothermia »
For the sake of brevity, this discussion includes only accidental hypothermia, not intentional hypothermia, which is used in certain surgeries or in the intensive care unit.
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