They used to teach in First Aid that you should do the "curl up in a sleeping bag" technique for hypothermia, but it is no longer sanctioned by agencies like the Red Cross or Saint John Ambulance (at least in Canada).

Applying warm packs to the neck, armpits, and genital areas is okay, but you must be very careful that you don't burn the casualty in doing so. Casualties in hypothermia are more susceptible to tissue damage, I understand, so anything that's warmer than normal body temperature will be too hot. (Even those chemical handwarmers will be too hot for direct skin contact.) I'm not sure if that applies to severe hypothermia or not; will have to get my books out and review.

Rubbing the skin to improve circulation is another huge no-no in hypothermia. All you're doing is forcing the body to circulate extremely cold blood into the partially warmed body core, which contributes to the "shock-cooling" effect that Paramedicpete described.

Well I think it's safe to say after reading through this thread that the most surefire way to survive hypothermia is to not get to that point to begin with. Fire, exercise, chemical heat packs and the like, although not all effective "cures" for hypothermia are all great ways to "prevent" hypothermia in the first place and should probably be used at the very first signs of any possible hypothermia symptoms. I.E. you get cold, stop and build a fire rather than think, "oh its just a couple more miles to camp, I'll rest here a while then hike the rest of the way before I get much colder". Living where I do, I'll be the first to admit that I am not expert on this subject. I do spend my Christmas' every year in the Sierra Navada Mountains though (and it "can" get pretty cold here for a couple days a year too <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />) so I still like to know what to do.

I was reading somewhere (Cody Lundin's book?) that most cases of hypothermia occur when the air temp is between freezing and 50°F. I guess if the weather was any colder, a person would be dressed more suitably.

One thing I wonder about is if hypothermia occurs to someone in a group survival situation: the light plane is down, one person falls into a creek and gets wet, the temp is just above freezing, and the wind is blowing. The wet person becomes moderately (trouble speaking, not always coherent) hypothermic, the small group finds shelter, builds a fire, and cuddles up with the hypothermic person. If they keep that person warm for 24 hrs in dry clothes, can they bring that person back to a normal core temp without outside help?

Sue

Likely yes, if the person is not in severe hypothermia. I would guess that many of us have experienced mild hypothermia at one time or another, possible even moderate hypothermia and have recovered without any outside assistance.

Where many run into trouble are days where the air temps. may hover around 45-55 degrees and the weather is damp or wet and a mild to strong wind is blowing. People will often dress for severely cold weather, but will often under estimate the weather in the spring and fall (and in some areas even summer time conditions especially at night) and travel/hike with cotton jeans, shirt, hat and light jackets. They get wet either by the weather or sweat getting their clothes damp. They stop to rest/snack and that mild breeze that felt good while hiking starts to steal body heat by convection and evaporation. If you have enough fuel on board (I am strong supporter of the importance of high energy food in a survival situation), the body will shiver producing body heat or if you resume hiking, the body will generally produce heat, maintaining body core temp. Ingesting warm liquids will assist in warding off mild to moderate hypothermia.

Children, especially young ones have a higher head to body surface area ration. Children need to have a warm, close fitting hat. The old adage if your feet or hands are cold put on a hat is not just an “old wives” tail; it is an essential survival technique.

Wool or synthetic (polypro, fleece) clothes in layers topped with a wind/rain barrier and a close fitting warm wool/fleece hat, coupled with high-energy foods and the ability to intake warm liquids will go along way in preventing/treating mild to moderate hypothermia.

Pete

That makes a lot of sense. I'm guilty of underdressing in those situations. When the temp is 75 in the afternoon and can drop to 40 at night I admit that I will go on a day hike dressed for the 75 degree weather but not the 40 and certainly not the 'just fell in lake, spranged my angle and now I'm spending the night wet in 40 degree weather with wet clothing designed for 75 degrees'. Yes Yes, I am certainly guilty of that. Not because I don't know better but rather because I insist on travelling as light as possible 99% of the time. Before you guys start yelling at me... I do carry redundant, waterproof firemaking devices which I am quite skilled at using and I have equal skill in building shelter. I know I know... when I'm freezing and my hands are shaking it's not so easy (and yes I am usually alone out there) but I suppose thats a chance I take.

Sure it is a good idea to treat hypothermia at the first signs. But, and I always seem to come up with buts, in most cases you can't really recognise the symptoms by your self. Most people don't notice it at first. They just feel cold. As we all would. Then as it advances the mind is affected. Then things go downhill fast. Sure if anyone gets dunked in the river at 20 below they are going to realize that they need to get warm now. The reason most people that die from it in those mid temperatures is that it creeps up on you slowly then affects your judgement about what is happening. The person that will spot the suigns is your partner not you.

The case wheer after drop was first recognized was a group of fishermen haulled out of the ocean. They were treated for hypothermia. After the initial warming they all appeared to be recovering then suddenly died of heart failure. This is what started researcher to question what happened and the answers were what has formed the current recommandations for treatment.

Just seems basic to me. The first signs are that you feel cold. That happens long before judgement is impaired. So feeling cold = need to warm up immediatly. Seems simple to me but I know it is not that simple in reality for most folks.

Brian;

No offense, buddy, but you live in Texas. While I realize that Texas is not Tahiti (I believe it has even snowed in some parts of Texas), I believe your advice would be totally impractical in many parts of the world.

Up here in Canada, and probably in the northern border states and Alaska as well, "feeling cold" is not a sign of hypothermia, it's the body's natural condition between November and March. If I had to stop and warm up every time I felt cold, there would have to a 24-hour doughnut shop on every street corner, and it would take me a full day to walk downtown. <img src="/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

The rule of thumb I have heard from most experts is to try touching your thumb and little finger together. The minute you have difficulty doing that, stop and build a fire. (I know I've heard that from Mors Kochanski, but I don't know if he was the one who discovered it or not.)

Also, the simplistic advice "warm up immediately" can lead you astray, if your idea of warming up is to get back to the ski lodge. In some circumstances, this is the best option; in others, it will kill you.

I'm not going to stop and build a lean-to and a campfire in the parking lot of the Chateau Lake Louise, but what if I'm a mile away? What if I'm a half-mile away? What if I'm only 5 minutes away? Wait a min - those last two are pretty much the same thing.

A co-worker of mine lost his teenage son winter before last when the boy decided to walk home from a party. He hadn't been drinking to excess (a major cause of hypothermia and death in some parts of Canada) and it was "only" a 10-minute walk. He never made it home; a search party found his body the next day, 100 yards from the nearest house.

Touch my thumb to my little finger? I can't do that on my best days anymore. Guess I have to build a fire in my office (fingers won't BEND that far anymore)

Hahaha yes my comments is based on the areas I frequent. Canadians, Alaskans, Siberians, etc should NOT follow any advice (and why would they anyway) given by me and in anyway related to weather! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I have heard the same thing about touching your thumb to your pinky finger. That's what everyone says when we're hiking and skiing at Christmas in the Sierra Navada Mountains. For what its worth I dress so that I don't feel cold when I'm there as well.