Hypothermia Diagnosis

The clinical ECG findings of hypothermia include reversible and temperature-dependent abnormalities: morphology (Osborn waves), rhythm (bradycardia, premature atrial and/or ventricular beats, atrial fibrillation, VT/VF), time (prolonged PR, QRS, and QT intervals ) and conduction (AV-block)[14, 15].

There are several causes of hyperglycemia. Type 1 diabetic patients have hyperglycemia because the patients do not have enough insulin while Type 2 patients usually have enough insulin but is not efficient as it should be. Other than that, lack of exercise and stress may as well cause hyperglycemia. One interesting cause of hyperglycemia is dawn phenomenon where hormones are highly produced around 4.00 a.m. to 5.00 a.m.. Everyone has experiences this condition. However, this is unfortunate for diabetic patient as they do not have normal insulin response to modulate to this condition. Diabetic patients’ specially Type 2 blood glucose level will normally increase significantly on early morning before breakfast (fasting glucose). This is due to more production of glucagon than insulin. Glucagon signals break down glycogen into glucose therefore increasing the blood glucose level.

It is a beneficial treatment that should be implemented as early in patient care as possible, such as, within the EMS system. Through the last century this therapy has been accepted and rejected by many medical professionals. Since medicine is an ever-changing field, future research and practice of hypothermia will dictate if this therapy is more beneficial than harmful, and maybe one day could be a permanent major role, or it may never be used again. Hypothermia has been proved to decrease neurological impairment after cardiac arrest, but also has many limitations that can occur. A major limitation of this therapy is, if continued care cannot be guaranteed by receiving hospitals, therapeutic hypothermia is irrelevant for EMS to initiate. Likewise, if hypothermia is not begun in the field by EMS, then the receiving facilities now will have a delayed time in starting the therapy and anoxic brain injury could have already occurred. EMS agencies can drive the implementation of therapeutic hypothermia in the medical field. This therapy allows EMS providers to have a major role in the outcome of a cardiac arrest patient’s recovery and neurological outcome. With the progression of research and practice, medicine is evolving day after day, and patient mortality and morbidity have decreased over the years. Although, cardiac arrest patients have a poor

Malignant Hyperthermia is primarily thought to be an autosomal dominant genetic disorder that causes a hypermetabolic state after administration of volatile anesthetics. When a patient is under anesthesia, the muscles are usually relaxed, but when a patient is experiencing Malignant Hyperthermia crisis, certain IV anesthesia causes the opposite effect. Most inhaled anesthetics other than nitrous oxide, cause or trigger Malignant Hyperthermia. More specifically, the anesthetic agents: Halothane, Chloroform, and Succinylcholine. The genic condition of Malignant Hyperthermia only becomes apparent when a patient is exposed to certain anesthetics such as halothane, which causes muscle rigidity.

Malignant Hyperthermia (MH) is a genetically inherited, pharmacogenic disorder involving a severe malfunction within the skeletal muscles, causing them to be stuck in a contracted state. It is found to be triggered in susceptible patients by the administration of certain anesthetic agents during and after surgical procedures. It may also be activated by the use of other drugs, such as muscle relaxants and triggered by other circumstances such as stress, trauma, and even exercising. Not only are the muscles normal physiology affected, but abnormalities of the whole body occur disrupting its natural homeostasis. If it is not treated immediately, it can be fatal. Susceptibility is found in patients who have had a known family history of MH. In order for a medical professional or a patient to be prepared to handle MH one must understand how it affects the normal physiology of the body, what signs to look for, and how it can be diagnosed, treated, and prevented. There is no cure for MH, but there are specific drugs and precautionary measures that are used to prevent and treat it when a patient is susceptible.

hypertension. Therapeutic hypothermia (THT) has been considered an effective method for reducing ischemic injury of the brain due to cardiac arrest. But there are some opponents in the medical community who believe that broadening the scope of THT could be dangerous to patients. Although opponents do not seem to blame THT for adverse patient outcomes; the disagreement seems to be about the variables involved before hospital arrival, amount of time that it takes to administer THT in the ER, which therapies should be administered with THT and the need for more research that tracks adverse events. A study published by The American Journal of Emergency Medicine supports the widely held view that THT is an effective treatment for cardiac arrest

The evidence surrounding the topic of therapeutic hypothermia post cardiac arrest is one lathered in potentially advantageous benefits, as well as harmful side effects. Although this procedure has potentially lifesaving and neurologically preserving implications, it does come with various side effects which can be dangerous in general or if left untreated. This paper will first address the many benefits, some of which include prolongation of life, retention of neurological function. It will then shed light upon some of the subsequent risks and harmful effects that are associated with therapeutic hypothermia. Lastly the paper will discuss why or why not the overall benefits outweigh the aggravating factors. Thus, being a topic of much controversy

Hypothermia is a common problem in surgical patients. Up to 70% of patients experience some degree of hypothermia that is undergoing anesthetic surgery. Complications include but are not limited to wound infections, myocardial ischemia, and greater oxygen demands. The formal definition of hypothermia is when the patient’s core body temperature drops below 36 degrees Celsius or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus, the purpose of the paper is to synthesize what studies reveal about the current state of knowledge on the effects of pre-operative warming of patient’s postoperative temperatures. I will discuss consistencies and contradictions in the literature, and offer possible explanations for the inconsistencies.

Taking temperature is an integral part of patient care. It is one of the four vital signs and therefore is an essential piece of information to obtain  so that an effective diagnosis can be made, for this reason the safety and accuracy of the measurement should be a high priority. Temperature is also considered an essential in hospital observation policy and Early Warning Score (EWS).  A normal temperature ranges from 36.5oC to 37.2oC, however, normal body temperatures may vary due to many factors such as physical activity, room temperature and eating (Fuzy, 2003). The areas used for effective temperature measurement are as followed; mouth, rectum, armpit and ear, each require a different thermometer and method (choose well, nd.). Safely using a thermometer is not just about using the appropriate method but also about preventing the spread of

Hypothermia is the unintentional lowering of a core body temperature below 36oC. During anesthesia a patent’s temperature will typically drop by 1-2o C in the first hour after inductions and will continue to decline into the third and fourth hour (Butterworth, Mackey, & Wasnick, 2013). This is attributed to the inhibition of central thermoregulation from the hypothalamus which regulates the body temperature by causing vasoconstriction and shivering (Butterworth, Mackey, & Wasnick, 2013). As a result of inhibiting vasoconstriction heat is redistributed from the central core to the periphery (Akhtar et al., 2016). Other factors that play a role in intraoperative hypothermia is the lower ambient temperature of the operating room, the infusion of cool fluids, and patient exposure to environment.

Certain hormones (insulin and glucagon) control the level of glucose in the blood. Insulin lowers blood glucose, and glucagon increases blood glucose. Hyperglycemia can result from having too little insulin in the bloodstream, or from the body not responding normally to insulin. Normally, the body gets rid of excess glucose through urine. If you

* Severe hypothermia (<86º F [30º C]) is a severe and potentially life-threatening situation that makes the person appear dead. Profound bradycardia, ventricular fibrillation, or asystole may be present.

Imagine the daily commute; it all starts out as a very busy morning, rushing to work. Leaving the car, locking the doors behind forgetting a sleeping child unnoticed in the backseat. It happens more often than people believe, most parents cannot imagine accidentally leaving their child in the car but it happens every year. Every summer during a heat wave there is a new news report being broadcasted about how a parent left a child in a hot car alone. However, with the new current technological safety advancements in the automotive industry, there has to be a solution to keep parents from forgetting a child is in their car.

Your glucose levels can rise, if you don’t create required amount of insulin. This can also occur if your body is resistant to insulin, which means that

The risk of unplanned perioperative hypothermia is a well-established concept that is often overlooked. Success in preventing perioperative hypothermia depends on factors such as correct measurements of body temperatures and essential warming procedures that are carried out intraoperatively and peri-operatively. This study was conducted in order to compare the reliable esophageal and nasopharyngeal temperatures recorded during 210 minutes of surgery, while mostly looking at the effects that pre-warming has on these temperatures. The study also considered age and weight as factors that affected the core temperatures of individuals. The study divided a group of 52 individuals, who were to receive colorectal surgery, into groups A and B. Nine