Transcript Hypothermia Notes - Waconia High School

Hypothermia Notes
Winter Bio
Hypothermia
A.) Hypo- under
B.) Thermia- temperature
C.) Condition of the body when it is
unable to maintain adequate
warmth.
D.) Development
1.) Very quickly (20 minutes)
2.) Gradual (Hours)
Historic Examples
1.) 1777- Washington’s army
a.) Valley Forge- 3,000 deaths
2.)Armistice Day blizzard- November 11-12, 1940
a.)Day started 60 degrees and ended 17-27 inches of
snow
b.) 49 killed in MN, 150 killed in United States
More Historic Examples
3.) 1981- Michigan Football Game
a.) Band- half time
b.) 31 degrees
c.) 34 members collapsed
4.)1989- 11 year old boy
a.) Submerged in river for 15 minutes
b.) 9 hours later- Normal
5.) Titanic
6.) Hitler
7.) Napolean
Sustaining Life
Rules of 3
1.) Water- 3 days
2.) Food- 3 weeks
3.) Warmth- 3 hours
4.) Air- 3 minutes
Air
• A.) After 3 minutes… trouble.
• B.) CO
Thermoregulation
-98.6 degrees
- Body must generate heat
- Body must retain heat
- Body must discharge heat
Core (Trunk & Head)
-Brain, heart, and lungs must stay at 98.6 degrees.
Peripheral (Extremities)
-Limbs, skin
Causes of Hypothermia
A.) Cold Air: most hypothermia occurs at air temperatures between
30 and 50 degrees
1.) Wind breaks down your body’s warm air blanket
2.)Your head can lose 70% of your body heat
B.) Cold Water
1.) Water against the body reduces your peripheral body
temperature.
2.) Wet clothing loses 90% of its insulation value
3.) Wet clothes wicks heat away from your body 240 times
faster then dry
C.) Old Age
1.) Metabolism
2.) Insulation
3.) Malnutrition
-Weaken victims resistance systems.
-People affected are:
~Poor
~Elderly
~Scuba Divers
~Military
~Back Packers
More Causes of Hypothermia
D.) Inadequate Nutrition
1.) Metabolism (energy)
a.) The breaking down of sugar
~C6 H12 O6= CO2+Energy (when energy is
present).
~C6 H12 O6= C3 H6 O3 (when O2 lacking, Lactic
Acid)
b.) Lactic Acid
~ Causes muscle fatigue
~ “Metabolic- acidosis”
~ Re-warming Lactic Acid rushes into the blood
and makes it acidic, and then cardiac arrest takes place.
2.) Body Functions
And More Causes Of Hypothermia
E.) Alcohol
1.) Metabolism
2.) Body Functions
F.) Injury
G.) Disease, infection, and sickness
Stages of Hypothermia
Mild- 98.6-95.0 degree body temp.
-Intensive shivering, ability to perform complex tasks is impaired,
fatigue, poor coordination, immobile and fumbling of hands
Moderate- 95.0- 91.4 degree
body temp.
-Violent shivering, difficulty
speaking, sluggish in thinking, amnesia starts
to appear, starts to lose contact with
environment, stumbling gait, feeling of deep
cold and numbness
91.4-87.8 degree body temp.
-Shivering decreases, in it’s place is
muscle rigidity, erratic movement, thinking is
not clear, victim can’t stand, hallucinations,
loses contact with the surroundings.
Severe- 87.8-85.2 degree body temp.
- Rigid muscles, no shivering, very irrational, starts into a
stupor, pulse and respiration slow, pupils start to dilate, skin
is turning bluish, drowsiness.
Victims have been saved with
85.2-78.8 degree body temp.
core temps as low as 75.0F
-Does not respond to words that are spoken, pulse is very
erratic, reflexes do not function, victim will be only semiconscious, heart starts atrial fib
BELOW 78.8
-Heart and respiratory failure, ventricular fibrillation,
probably brain and lung hemorrhage, apparent death.