Hypothermia and Frostbite

Extreme temperatures, either hot or cold, can pose great dangers in the out-of-doors. Searing sun or winter’s cold can tax to the limits even a hardened outdoorsman. Before heading off on a backcountry trip, review these first-aid procedures fore weather-related injuries. There are two major cold weather related situations that must be cared for. Hypothermia and Frostbite.

Hypothermia

Hypo means "a lack of"; thermia means "heat." Hypothermia occurs when a person's body core temperature drops so low that it is no longer possible to keep warm. In effect. the body’s furnace goes out. Conditions need not be extreme fore hypothermia to develop. Any combination of cool weather and damp clothing, wind, exhaustion , or hunger can bring it on . In fact, most cases occur when the air temperature is well above freezing.

How to Spot it

To function well, the brain must stay warm. As the body begins to cool, the victim will shiver in an attempt to create heat. Other symptoms may include irritability, and as the temperature of the brain begins to drop, disorientation, sleepiness, and incoherence. The ability to make clear judgments will be reduced, perhaps causing the victim to push on longer when conditions call for turning back. As the person becomes even colder, shivering will stop, following by a slip into unconsciousness and perhaps death.

Because it first affects the ability to think clearly, hypothermia is as stealthy as it is dangerous. Someone beginning to suffer from it might have no idea that there is any danger and, in growing confusion, might reject any suggestions to stop and get warm. When you are outdoors in the damp, cool, or cold weather, use the "hypothermia challenge" to determine if you or others in your group are in danger.

Here’s how it works:

If you think someone in the group is acting strangely, challenge your companion to walk a 30-foot line scratched on the ground. It’s a test similar to that police use to check suspected drunk drivers. If a hiker can walk heel-to-toe for the length of the line without difficulty, hypothermia is still not a problem. Howeverm if there is unsteadiness, loss of balance, or other signs of idsorientation, see that your companion gets warn and dry even if the person protests. Everyone in the group must take the "Hypothermia challenge" before you travel on.

How to Treat It

Take action to rewarm the victim and prevent further heat loss. In mild cases you can move the victim to the shelter of a building or tent, remove wet clothing, and zip the person into a sleeping bag until body temperature warms to normal. Make sure the head is covered with a warm hat or sleeping bag hood. Give hot drinks and soup of available -- no alcohol.

In severe cases you must actively warm the victim's body. Get the person under shelter and into a sleeping bag, ideally a double-sized bad mae by zipping together two sleeping bags. Crawl into the bag with your companion and stip the clothing from both of you. The effort of removing damp clothing will help you generate body heat, and the bag will protect both of you from the cold outside. If the bag is large enough, have a third person crawl in and strip down, too. Skin against skin, the heat of your bodies can rewarm the victim and perhaps save a life.

How to Prevent It

The best way to deal with hypothermia is to prevent it in the first place. Always carry raingear to keep yourself and your clothing dry. Dress warmly. Wear a hat. Eat plenty of energy foods. Don't push yourself to a dangerous point of fatique.

Frostbite

Flesh exposed to low temperatures is in danger of freezing. The longer the exposure, the more damage the injury. Far from the body’s core heat, toes and fingers are especially susceptible to frostbite, and so are the nose, ears and cheeks.

How to Spot it

As flesh freezes it may become painful and then numb, though sometimes the victim is not aware the injury is occurring. If the freezing continues, the area will stiffen and become grayish or whitish in color. Blisters may appear.

How to Treat it

Get the affected area warm and keep it warm. In the field, thaw fingers by holding them beneath your clothing and under your armpits. Press a bare palm over a frosted nose, ear, or cheeks. If you can get to shelter, place cold feet on companion’s bare belly, or dip frozen areas in lukewarm water [ 104-108 f or 40-42 c] do not rub the injury with snow. Too much heat and abrasion can seriously damage the tissues already made tender by the cold.

If blisters appear, apply a large sterile. Treat the victim for shock and get to a physician. A mountaineer or bike rider whose feet have badly frozen miles from help may need to delay thawing the injury. In desperate survival situations it is possible to walk on frozen feet; once they’ve been warmed, however, further travel is impossible.

How to Prevent it

Areas of the body most likely to suffer frostbite are those farthest from the deep organs or large muscles: earlobes, nose, cheeks, hands, and feet. To prevent frostbite the body must be warm enough to supply warm blood to these areas. Adequate clothing on the head and body, therefore, is at least as important as warm coverings for the hands and feet. If clothing becomes wet, change to dry garments as soon as possible. Wet clothing is a much poorer insulator than dry clothing.