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When resulting from blood loss, trauma is the most common root cause, but severe blood loss can also happen in various body systems without clear traumatic injury. [3] The body in hypovolemic shock prioritizes getting oxygen to the brain and heart, which reduces blood flow to nonvital organs and extremities, causing them to grow cold, look ...
Hypothermia and extreme stress can both precipitate fatal tachyarrhythmias. A more modern view suggests that an autonomic conflict – sympathetic (due to stress) and parasympathetic (due to the diving reflex) coactivation – may be responsible for some cold water immersion deaths.
The therapeutic effect of hypothermia is not confined to metabolism and membrane stability. Hypothermia can also prevent the injuries that occur after circulation returns to the brain, or what is termed reperfusion injuries. In fact, an individual suffering from an ischemic insult continues suffering injuries well after circulation is restored.
Alcohol also affects the temperature-regulating system in the brain, decreasing the body's ability to shiver and use energy that would normally aid the body in generating heat. [33] The overall effects of alcohol lead to a decrease in body temperature and a decreased ability to generate body heat in response to cold environments. [34]
Those affected report loss of sensation in affected skin for at least 30 minutes and abnormal sensation when experiencing rewarming. [4] The use of imaging or lab testing specific to nonfreezing cold injury is not helpful for confirming the diagnosis. [4] Imaging may be indicated to work up possible trauma or infection. [4]
Targeted temperature management (TTM), previously known as therapeutic hypothermia or protective hypothermia, is an active treatment that tries to achieve and maintain a specific body temperature in a person for a specific duration of time in an effort to improve health outcomes during recovery after a period of stopped blood flow to the brain. [1]
The trauma triad of death is a medical term describing the combination of hypothermia, acidosis, and coagulopathy. [1] This combination is commonly seen in patients who have sustained severe traumatic injuries and results in a significant rise in the mortality rate . [ 2 ]
The use of hypothermia for medical purposes dates back to Hippocrates, who advocated packing snow and ice into wounds to reduce hemorrhage. The origin of hypothermia and neuroprotection was also observed in infants who were exposed to cold due to abandonment and the prolonged viability of these infants.