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Exams and Tests

In severe cases of hypothermia, diagnosis and treatment will occur at the same time.

• The doctor will take a history from either the victim, if possible, or from whoever is present. Some vital information includes the length of exposure, the circumstances of recovery, and any past medical problems that may have influenced this episode.
  
  
• Symptoms vary, so the final diagnosis depends on the core body temperature. It is never taken by mouth. The temperature may be measured rectally, by a tube placed in the esophagus, or by an instrument inserted in an ear canal. Temperature will be measured continuously.
  
  
• A long list of blood tests will be performed because hypothermia can affect almost every organ system in the body. X-rays, especially of the chest, may be ordered, and many ECGs will be done to look at the electrical activity of the heart.