Accidental hypothermia–an update

Table 1 Staging of accidental hypothermia [73]

Stage	Clinical findings	Core temperature (°C) (if available)
Hypothermia I (mild)	Conscious, shivering^a	35–32 °C
Hypothermia II (moderate)	Impaired consciousness^a; may or may not be shivering	<32–28 °C
Hypothermia III (severe)	Unconscious^a; vital signs present	<28 °C
Hypothermia IV (severe)	Apparent death; Vital signs absent	Variable^b

^aShivering and consciousness may be impaired by comorbid illness (i.e. trauma, CNS pathology, toxic ingestion, etc.) or drugs (i.e. sedatives, muscle relaxants, narcotics etc.) independent of core temperature
The lowest temperature from which successful resuscitation and rewarming has been achieved is currently 13.7 °C [11] for accidental hypothermia and 9 °C for induced hypothermia [12]. This does not preclude resuscitation attempts at even lower temperatures if clinical judgment suggests the possibility of successful resuscitation
^bThe risk of cardiac arrest increases below 32 °C, but as it is unlikely to be due solely to hypothermia until the temperature is <28 °C, alternative causes should be considered. Some patients still have vital signs <24 °C and the lowest reported temperature of a patient with vital signs is 17 °C [232, 233]

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