Hesperian Health Guides
Cold Emergencies
Contents
Hypothermia, getting too cold
Being too cold for too long can be deadly. It can quickly cause confusion, affect judgment and make it harder to think clearly about how to get warm.
Signs
- Shivering
- Fast breathing and heart rate
- Difficulty speaking clearly, clumsiness
- Confusion
- Having to urinate more
As hypothermia gets worse, the pulse and breathing may slow down. The person may sit down, stop shivering, and in her confusion may start to take off clothes. Eventually she can pass out or die.
Treatment
Give rescue breathing if needed. A very cold person can recover after a long time of not breathing, so you may need to give rescue breathing for an hour or more.
- Get somewhere warm and dry.
- Remove wet clothes.
- Cover in warm, dry blankets. Be sure to cover head, hands,
and feet. - Do all you can to keep the person warm. Cuddle up close to the person, heat stones and then wrap them in cloth, or use hot water bottles to warm the person. But beware of burning the skin.
protect from the cold ground
If the person can sit up and hold a cup, give warm drinks. Do not give alcoholic drinks. While they may feel âhotâ in your throat or stomach, alcoholic drinks cause the body to lose heat. Also give food. Candy and sweets are especially helpful. Give a meal soon after. Encourage the person to drink plenty of water.
If the person has severe hypothermiaâa body temperature of 32° C (90°F) or less, is unconscious, not shivering anymoreâbe as gentle as you can while quickly transporting her to help.
Frostbite (frozen body parts)
Toes, fingers, ears, and other body parts can freeze. Eventually they âdie,â turning black. If you act fast at the first signs of frostbite, you can save these body parts that otherwise might need to be cut off.
Signs
- Skin cold, waxy, pale, splotchy
- Tingling, numbness, or pain
- The body part may be frozen hard
Light, mild frostbite turns the skin red. A few days later it peels. If it is a bit deeper, frostbite leaves the skin feeling hard, but soft underneath. Blisters may form the next day. When the muscle freezes, the frostbite is deep. The area is hard. It may blister only at the edges, or not at all. The blisters may fill with blood.
Treatment
Get out of the cold and quickly warm the frozen part. For fingers, the easiest thing is for the person to hold her hands in her own armpits or between her thighs. Or wrap the frozen parts in warm, dry cloths. Keep the frozen area still and try not to walk on frostbitten feet.
For deeper frostbite, fill a basin with warm (not hot) water. If you have a thermometer, try for 39° C (102°F.) Soak the frozen part in the water. Check the water first to prevent burns. Do not rub.
The frozen part should thaw within 45 minutes. As it warms, it will hurt. Give pain medicine. Do not let it become frozen again.
It is better to let the area stay frozen
than to thaw it and let it freeze again.
As frostbite heals over the coming days and weeks, treat it as you would a burn.
and burns.