AIM OF THE STUDY: Accidental hypothermia (AH) is a complex and life threatening condition. Knowledge about epidemiology, rewarming treatments, complications and outcome is limited. This study was initiated to obtain data on causes, rewarming treatments and complications. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of all patients with a body temperature ≤ 35°C admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) of the VU university medical centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, between January 1, 2000 and August 31, 2008. A predefined set of epidemiological and clinical data was retrieved. RESULTS: Eighty-four patients were included (median age: 47 years). Categories of hypothermia included immersion (18), submersion (29) and exposure to cold (37); concomitant factors were intoxication (26), trauma (40) and homelessness (7). Temperature at admission in the ED was 31.6 ± 2.6°C (mean ± SD), lowest temperature 24.2°C. Fourteen different rewarming treatments were used resulting in a wide range of rewarming speeds. Seventy-nine complications occurred: pulmonary, renal and neurological complications in 20, 17 and 10 patients respectively. Seventeen patients had 2 or more late complications. Twenty-four patients (28.6%) died: 10 during rewarming and 14 after rewarming was completed. Prognosis was poor in older and colder patients and after indoor exposure and submersion. CONCLUSION: AH is a rare diagnosis in an inhomogeneous population, treated with a large variety of rewarming techniques. Most complications and death occurred late, after rewarming was completed. Because individual teams gain little clinical experiences, we suggest multiple centre data collection as a first step towards an evidence-based standard of care.
AIM OF THE STUDY: Accidental hypothermia (AH) is a complex and life threatening condition. Knowledge about epidemiology, rewarming treatments, complications and outcome is limited. This study was initiated to obtain data on causes, rewarming treatments and complications. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of all patients with a body temperature ≤ 35°C admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) of the VU university medical centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, between January 1, 2000 and August 31, 2008. A predefined set of epidemiological and clinical data was retrieved. RESULTS: Eighty-four patients were included (median age: 47 years). Categories of hypothermia included immersion (18), submersion (29) and exposure to cold (37); concomitant factors were intoxication (26), trauma (40) and homelessness (7). Temperature at admission in the ED was 31.6 ± 2.6°C (mean ± SD), lowest temperature 24.2°C. Fourteen different rewarming treatments were used resulting in a wide range of rewarming speeds. Seventy-nine complications occurred: pulmonary, renal and neurological complications in 20, 17 and 10 patients respectively. Seventeen patients had 2 or more late complications. Twenty-four patients (28.6%) died: 10 during rewarming and 14 after rewarming was completed. Prognosis was poor in older and colder patients and after indoor exposure and submersion. CONCLUSION:AH is a rare diagnosis in an inhomogeneous population, treated with a large variety of rewarming techniques. Most complications and death occurred late, after rewarming was completed. Because individual teams gain little clinical experiences, we suggest multiple centre data collection as a first step towards an evidence-based standard of care.
Authors: Piotr Mazur; Sylweriusz Kosiński; Paweł Podsiadło; Anna Jarosz; Roman Przybylski; Radosław Litiwnowicz; Jacek Piątek; Janusz Konstanty-Kalandyk; Robert Gałązkowski; Tomasz Darocha Journal: Ann Cardiothorac Surg Date: 2019-01
Authors: Peter Paal; Les Gordon; Giacomo Strapazzon; Monika Brodmann Maeder; Gabriel Putzer; Beat Walpoth; Michael Wanscher; Doug Brown; Michael Holzer; Gregor Broessner; Hermann Brugger Journal: Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med Date: 2016-09-15 Impact factor: 2.953