Lotus Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 What are the indications and contraindications of active warming? are there any risks other than burns and hyperthermia? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctickat Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Indication - Hypothermia Contraindication - Hyperthermia 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lotus Posted April 18, 2012 Author Share Posted April 18, 2012 Well yeah, but multiple ones or is that literally it? I hate how the book words things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussieaid Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Active rewarming can cause arrhythmias and metabolic derangements as well as the risk of afterdrop and rewarming hypovolemia. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief1C Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 We don't use anything that could cause burns, when warming a patient. I have the separating layer rule; which applies to heat or cold. Heat or cold therapy should be neither uncomfortable nor harmful, if done properly. If it's too warm or too cold on MY skin, I quickly improve the barrier before I place it on the patient. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneEMTP Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 What is 'after drop?' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussieaid Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 When someone's really cold the blood is shunted away from the peripheries (shut down) and to the core organs....when you start warming them up and they start vasodilating then the cold blood starts getting circulated to the core organs and their body temperature can actually drop more. Or that is my simplified understanding of the phenomenom! Correct me if I have it wrong... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctickat Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 When someone's really cold the blood is shunted away from the peripheries (shut down) and to the core organs....when you start warming them up and they start vasodilating then the cold blood starts getting circulated to the core organs and their body temperature can actually drop more. Or that is my simplified understanding of the phenomenom! Correct me if I have it wrong... You're essentially correct. We need to rewarm an individual slowly to prevent cold extremty blood from circulating back to the warmer(comparatively) heart and causing it to fibrillate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chbare Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 There is actually evidence that does not support this theory. A decrease in core temperature can occur, but the mechanism may not be as clear as some think. We traditionally believe that peripheral vasidilation leads to the phenomena, but there is literature from the mid to late 80's if I remember that looked at rewarming people who were placed in states of mild hypothermia and rewarmed. The physiology of thermoregulation may be even more complex than we think. I'll see if I can pull the article or at least an abstract. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vorenus Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 If I can remember correctly, the reoccuring hypothermia isn`t the biggest problem, but rather the possibility of the occurence of dangerous arrythmias, if the cold blood flows through the heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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