Hypothermia's Deadly Role in the Trauma Patient

It's 120 degrees on a hot summer day and your patient is dying of...hypothermia. You've controlled hemorrhage, have a patent airway and your patients respiration is stable. Why would you be worried about hypothermia? You don't need to be treating your patient on an iceberg for hypothermia to effect them. It's the 4th leading cause of death in Afghanistan and nearly 2/3 of all patients admitted to the Emergency Department have some form of hypothermia. It only takes a patients core going under 95' degrees to be considered hypothermic, which can happen even in 120' weather, especially if you've lost enough blood that your body is unable to stabilize itself.  There is a reason hypothermia has earned it's place in the algorithm "MARCH" and needs to be addressed in your austere medical considerations.  If you haven't got it by now, I'd recommend adding a survival blanket as a minimum, or an Hypothermia Prevention and Management Kit or HPMK. We will go over the benefits and how to use them because a proper wrap will save heat and it's more than just putting a blanket on them. Survival Blanket / "Space Blanket" Hypothermia Prevention and Management Kit (HPMK)