Defending Against the Most Dangerous Killer in the Outdoors
PRO'S TIP
Preventing And Treating Hypothermia By Dan Kidder Managing Editor
O
n average, between 800 and 1,500 people die each year in the United States from hypothermia, a condition of the core temperature of the body reaching a dangerously low level. The temperature drop necessary to become dangerous is not a vast change from our normal 98.6 degrees. As little as a few degrees can become dangerous and 10 degrees is most likely going to be fatal. This drop in core temperature can occur even in mild temperatures and it is common for people to die from hypothermia on a day in the mid-50s to low 60s. As a survival instructor, I spend a great deal of time on proper thermoregulation of body temperature in our classes. Following the rule of threes, we can spend days and weeks without water or food, respectively, but the cold can kill us in hours. The number-one killer in an outdoor emergency is exposure. This is a generalization of conditions such as instability of thermoregulation, frostbite, chilblains, and cascading effects of these conditions such as dehydration. Exposure is a very simplified label and doesn’t often address the underlying conditions. It makes an easy label on a coroner’s report but oversimplifies the real conditions that lead to death; conditions that can be prevented and treated in the field.
An Ounce Of Prevention…
As Benjamin Franklin noted, time and energy spent preventing a problem is far more efficient than treating the problem once it occurs. The simplest way to cure hypothermia, is prevent the condition from occurring. Hypothermia is a condition, not a disease, so minimizing the factors that contribute to it is the best way to prevent it. Essentially, hypothermia is a change in the body’s basal metabolic rate caused by the way the body adapts to changes in the surrounding temperature and how
the body adjusts to prevent death and attempts to regulate internal temperature. As warm-blooded creatures, humans generate heat through our metabolism, converting nutrients into heat. If our exposure to cold outpaces the calories we consume, then the body begins to adjust to try to conserve the heat we lose. Medical conditions, exertion, lack of food and water, and use of medications, drugs, or alcohol can increase susceptibility to increased exposure to cold and make people more likely to suffer from hypothermia. As the body is exposed to cold, its natural defense is to draw blood into the core of the body, sacrificing limbs and digits to protect vital organs. It also begins to shiver to generate heat through kinetic energy. As a response, the body sees this increase in blood pressure in the core as an increase in fluid and you begin to excrete fluids through sweating and urination. This can lead to dehydration. So how do we prevent hypothermia? First, limit exposure to cold. Layering clothing that better prevents heat loss by trapping air between layers is one way to prevent overcooling of the body. This works in the inverse by keeping out the colder air from outside. Gloves protect the fingers, and good wool socks protect the feet. A hat is a must to prevent heat loss from the head and a good scarf protects against cold exposure at the neck, where a lot of blood comes near the surface. This is great when our body is trying to protect us from hyperthermia (getting too hot) but is deadly when we are getting too cold.
January 2019 | SPORTSMAN’S NEWS
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