Full neurological recovery from profound (18.0 degrees C) acute accidental hypothermia: successful resuscitation using active invasive rewarming techniques.

The case of a 17-year-old girl brought into the emergency department (ED) having been found in a field semi-clad and overtly hypothermic is reported. A weak carotid pulse, agonal breathing and fixed dilated pupils were noted. On arrival in the ED she was in asystolic cardiopulmonary arrest. Initial core body temperature was 18 degrees C. After 4 h of closed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and rewarming using a haemofiltration circuit, she made a full recovery with no adverse neurological sequelae. In this case report, the importance of prolonged resuscitation in cardiopulmonary arrest secondary to acute severe environmental hypothermia and the successful use of a haemofiltration circuit to deliver active core rewarming are highlighted.