Wilderness Medicine Podcast March 2019 - Wilderness & Environmental Medicine Live
Mar 4, 2019
Gordon G. Giesbrecht, a Professor at the University of Manitoba and an expert on hypothermia, dives into the intricacies of cold-weather survival techniques. He discusses innovative rewarming methods, emphasizing the importance of head heat retention. The conversation also covers the role of esophageal temperature probes in wilderness settings and the latest advancements in wilderness EMS education, including a new alpine first responder training in the Everest region. Insights on the medical training of Sherpa guides highlight the transformative power of wilderness education.
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Upper Chest Is Best For External Rewarming
- Applying external heat to the upper chest is generally the most effective and efficient field rewarming site.
- Head warming matches torso warming when chest access is impossible, per Giesbrecht's human model study.
Head Warming Can Be As Effective As Chest Warming
- In a model of severe hypothermia with shivering suppressed, head warming produced similar core rewarming as torso warming.
- Net heat gain and core warming rates were comparable for head and chest applications in their trial.
Use Spoon Position For Body-to-Body Warming
- Use body-to-body contact (spooning) with maximal torso skin contact to transfer heat when no external heat source exists.
- Ensure the donor is normothermic and accept the transport/resource trade-offs before starting this method.
