Title: Accidental Hypothermia<br/>Author: Ashley Menne<br/><a href='http://umem.org/profiles/faculty/1825/'>[Click to email author]</a><hr/><p> Core Temp <32 degrees leads to impaired shivering and confers increased risk for malignant ventricular dysrhythmias. Core Temp <28 degrees substantially increases risk of cardiac arrest. </p> <p> </p> <p> If in cardiac arrest:</p> <ul> <li> VA ECMO. Rewarming rate ~6 degrees per hour.</li> <li> Cardio Pulmonary Bypass. Rewarming Rate ~9 degrees per hour.</li> <li> Consider transfer to center with ECMO or CPB capabilities</li> <li> Consider up to 3 defibrillation attempts for shockable rhythm</li> <li> Consider with holding epi until core temp >30 degrees and doubling interval between doses (q6-10 minutes) until core temp >35 (European Resuscitation Council recs – note this differs from AHA guidelines/recommendations)</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p> If perfusing rhythm:</p> <ul> <li> Institute active external rewarming (warm environment, forced-air heating blankets, arctic sun, warm parenteral fluids). Rewarming Rate ~ 0.1-3.4 degrees per hour.</li> <li> Consider minimally invasive rewarming with TTM cooling/rewarming catheter (Alsius/Zoll) via femoral vessel. Rewarming Rate ~3.5 degrees per hour.</li> <li> Hemodialysis or CRRT can be considered if intravascular rewarming device unavailable. Rewarming rate 2-4 degrees per hour.</li> <li> Avoid IJ or SC central lines, rewarming catheters, and HD catheters -- myocardial irritation with wire/catheter may precipitate ventricular dysrhythmia.</li> </ul> <p> </p> <p> Consider addition of more invasive rewarming techniques in those with hemodynamic/cadiac instability or without access to VA ECMO/CPB:</p> <ul> <li> Thoracic lavage. Rewarming rate ~ 3 degrees per hour</li> <li> Peritoneal lavage. Rewarming rate ~ 1-3 degrees per hour </li> <li> </li> </ul> <p> Consider stopping resuscitation efforts if/when:</p> <ul> <li> K >12- suggests hypoxia before cooling, no reported survivors. Some recommend K of 10 as cutoff in adults.</li> <li> Rewarmed to 32 degrees and no signs of life.</li> </ul> <fieldset><legend>References</legend>
<p> </p> <p style="margin-left:24.0pt;"> Douglas J. A. Brown, Hermann Brugger, Jeff Boyd, Peter Paal. (2012). Accidental Hypothermia. <em>New England Journal of Medicine</em>. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMra1114208</p> </fieldset>