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CanisLupusArctos · 12-10-2007, 01:12 PM

Once a person is removed from the ice water, they can be treated like any other land-based hypothermia victim. Common sense rules, which is what emergency medicine is based on.

Move the victim to warm environment. Remove wet clothes, replace with dry clothes and/or blankets. If the victim can speak & swallow, give warm fluids because warming from the inside is always more effective than warming from the outside. If the victim can't speak/swallow, don't give anything orally (choking hazard.)

If warm environment is not nearby, you have to improvise using what you have and what's nearby, and provide clothing or blankets from what you and your group have (just don't put yourselves in danger of hypothermia -- we want fewer victims, not more.) At the very least, get the victim out of the wind.

If the outside of the person's clothing freezes, it may not be a bad thing. By itself, ice is an insulator. That is why in the south, orange growers hose down their oranges before a really cold night. The ice around the orange holds some heat in, and keeps frost from forming on the inside.

The good news is that it takes longer than a few minutes to die of hypothermia unless you're skinny dipping in Antarctica, but after a couple of minutes go by, your brain starts to get cold & act drunk which means you can't do things on your own. If a couple minutes go by and you haven't been able to rescue yourself, you will most likely need other people to rescue you without any help from you.

There is a saying in emergency medicine: "He ain't dead 'til he's WARM and dead." People have been found in late-stage hypothermia with pulse rates of say, 4 beats per minute, and they've survived. They will appear to be dead, but they're really in a state of suspended animation. Cold water drowning victims have a better chance of surviving than warm water drownings, because when the brain gets cold it can go for a much longer period of time without oxygen.

Still, if someone goes through the ice, call 911 immediately unless you're the only one around AND you KNOW you have a very good chance of *safely* rescuing the person yourself. Otherwise, it's best to get the FD rolling and if the victim ends up getting out of the water before they arrive, the victim can always refuse transport to the hospital if he's fine.

It might be a good idea to take a cold-water dip to lessen your mental shock, should you fall through -- as I write this, NewsCenter 6 Portland is advertising a cold-water plunge that will take place on Old Orchard Beach this month. Participants get sponsors, and proceeds benefit Special Olympics.

12-10-2007, 01:12 PM	#21
CanisLupusArctos Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Center Harbor Posts: 1,049 Thanks: 15 Thanked 472 Times in 107 Posts	hypothermia Once a person is removed from the ice water, they can be treated like any other land-based hypothermia victim. Common sense rules, which is what emergency medicine is based on. Move the victim to warm environment. Remove wet clothes, replace with dry clothes and/or blankets. If the victim can speak & swallow, give warm fluids because warming from the inside is always more effective than warming from the outside. If the victim can't speak/swallow, don't give anything orally (choking hazard.) If warm environment is not nearby, you have to improvise using what you have and what's nearby, and provide clothing or blankets from what you and your group have (just don't put yourselves in danger of hypothermia -- we want fewer victims, not more.) At the very least, get the victim out of the wind. If the outside of the person's clothing freezes, it may not be a bad thing. By itself, ice is an insulator. That is why in the south, orange growers hose down their oranges before a really cold night. The ice around the orange holds some heat in, and keeps frost from forming on the inside. The good news is that it takes longer than a few minutes to die of hypothermia unless you're skinny dipping in Antarctica, but after a couple of minutes go by, your brain starts to get cold & act drunk which means you can't do things on your own. If a couple minutes go by and you haven't been able to rescue yourself, you will most likely need other people to rescue you without any help from you. There is a saying in emergency medicine: "He ain't dead 'til he's WARM and dead." People have been found in late-stage hypothermia with pulse rates of say, 4 beats per minute, and they've survived. They will appear to be dead, but they're really in a state of suspended animation. Cold water drowning victims have a better chance of surviving than warm water drownings, because when the brain gets cold it can go for a much longer period of time without oxygen. Still, if someone goes through the ice, call 911 immediately unless you're the only one around AND you KNOW you have a very good chance of safely rescuing the person yourself. Otherwise, it's best to get the FD rolling and if the victim ends up getting out of the water before they arrive, the victim can always refuse transport to the hospital if he's fine. It might be a good idea to take a cold-water dip to lessen your mental shock, should you fall through -- as I write this, NewsCenter 6 Portland is advertising a cold-water plunge that will take place on Old Orchard Beach this month. Participants get sponsors, and proceeds benefit Special Olympics.