Treating Hypothermia

Treating Hypothermia

Generally speaking, when you find someone showing signs of hypothermia it is best to seek medical attention immediately. In emergency situations, especially in a survival situation, this might not be possible. Here are some considerations in treating hypothermia:

• If you have just arrived on the scene or are in a survival situation, assess the area carefully and consider any potenial risks and available resources. Some basic knowledge of survival skills can be extremely valuable. You ca check out our article on basic survival skills here: Basic Survival Skills.
• If you notice or find a person showing signs of hypothermia, gently approach the person and handle them with care.
• Make them move only if necessary, as excessive movements in an acute case of hypothermia can cause cardiac arrest.
• Remove their wet clothing, but again minimize movement.
• Cover the person with dry coats or blankets with only the head exposed. If you are in the outdoors in an exposed or wet area, get them into a dry, sheltered spot. If there are none around, create one. In open areas, windbreaks can be made out of shrubs, rocks or grasses. Be creative and stay positively focused.
• Insulate them from the cold ground by laying them on their back on a blanket or other warm surface. Exposure to the cold ground can increase and even cause hypothermia. In a survival situation, consider cutting tules, cattails, ferns, evergreen boughs or grasses and making a large pile of them to insulate the person with hypothermia from the ground. Since these materials will compress significantly under the weight of a person, make the pile of material at least 12 inches thick.
• Share body heat. Remove your clothing and provide skin-on-skin contact while wrapped in blankets or other warm, insulating materials. In a survival situation it can help to have a fire going before you do this, but remember not to put the person too near to the fire as it can cause cardiac arrest. Fire starting in a survival situation can be a challenge. Check out our primitive fire making articles here: Wilderness Survival Tips.
• Remember that you will not be any help if you also get hypothermia! Keep the causes of hypothermia in mind and keep yourself warm too. If in a survival situation, do whatever it takes to stay warm.
• If the person is able to swallow and is alert, provide them with some warm, non-caffeinated and non-alcoholic drink. Caffeine can affect the heart rate, and alcohol can also increase the rate of heat loss by dilating the blood vessels near the skin surface.
• You may also apply a warm, dry compress to the chest, groin or neck. Do not apply it on the arms or legs as this may cause cardiac arrest. Don't use hot water, a hot water bottle or heat lamp as extreme heat can also cause cardiac arrest.

Hypothermia is a potential hazard to your well-being when exploring the outdoors. But with an understanding of its symptoms and causes of hypothermia you can avoid having to experience it or treat it. The best treatment for hypothermia is through prevention. Remember to bundle up out there, stay dry and have fun!

A greater understanding of primitive survival skills such as shelter building and fire making can be a priceless asset to have when in the outdoors.

www.4ursurvival.com

By Filip Tkaczyk