Dealing with HYPOTHERMIA
The rapid progressive mental and physical collapse accompanying the chilling of the inner core of the human body.
Conditions leading to hypothermia:
Cold temperatures - individual response
Improper clothing and equipment
Wetness
Fatigue - exhaustion
Dehydration
Poor food intake
If your group is exposed to WIND COLD OR WET - think hypothermia and watch yourself and others for the symptoms:
The umbles - fumble, mumble, stumble and grumble
Uncontrolled fits of shivering
Vague, slow, slurred speech
Immobile fumbling hands
Memory lapses or incoherence even irrational behaviour - undressing unaware they are cold
Frequent stumbling
Drowsiness (to sleep is to die)
Apparent exhaustion collapse - falls to the ground, can't walk, curls up in foetal position to conserve heat - breathing shallow and erratic - heart stops and death
Treatment
Victim may deny they are in trouble - believe the symptoms not the person even mild symptoms demand immediate treatment.
Get out of the wind and rain - take shelter
Strip off wet clothes
If victim only mildly impaired:
Give warm drinks but only small amounts - not alcohol (vasodilator increases peripheral heat loss) not coffee (diuretic causes dehydration) not tobacco (vaso constrictor decreases peripheral circulation - frost bite)
Put on dry clothes and into a sleeping bag
Build a fire; place well-wrapped hot rocks or canteens under arms and in crotch not peripheries. - necessary to warm core first because warm peripheral blood circulating to core can cause cardiac arrythmias and possible cardiac arrest.
If victim semiconscious or worse:
Try to keep awake- don't give liquids by mouth
Strip victim - put in sleeping bag with other stripped person even two people for heat transfer!
Transfer to hospital as quick as possible.
Prevention - Avoid exposure
Stay dry and warm with appropriate clothing - when clothes get wet they lose 90% of insulating value (wool less and new synthetics far less) cotton and wet down is worthless. Jeans and corduroys not advised.
Reduce area of skin exposed head looses 30% of body heat therefore a hat essential in pack at all times plus gloves and layering of insulating clothing to keep the warmed airspace next to you body, best done by polypropylene or equivalent fibres. These also allow perspiration to pass outward (referred to as material breathing) to keep the airspace dry and therefore warm.
Wind drives cold air under and through clothing. Wind refrigerates wet clothing by evaporating moisture from the surface - wind multiplies the problem of staying dry - hence remove any wet clothing
The cooling effect of wind chill is equal to much lower temperatures therefore a gortex shell or windstopper fabric is needed to keep that warm air space in windy and wet conditions.
An added advantage is that these new synthetic fabrics dry very quickly.
Understand most hypothermia cases develop in air temperatures between 0 - 10 degrees most don't not realise effects.
If you cannot stay dry and warm under existing weather conditions be smart enough to give up reaching the peak or what ever you had in mind - do what is needed to reduce exposure - get out of wind, rain or cold.
Never ignore shivering - persistent shivering is a clear warning sign you are on the verge of hypothermia. Your exercising may be the only thing preventing your going into hypothermia but this could be leading to exhaustion if continued too long.
Carry matches, barley sugar or energy bar and space blanket in first aid kit.
Diamond Valley Bushwalking Club Inc. PO Box 536 Eltham Victoria 3095 - Vic Association Number. A0010907B.