News from EDSFAT [Eastbourne District Scout (Fellowship) First Aid Team]
With all the cold weather around the corner what better way to restart the short articles on First Aid issues than with Hypothermia.
We all get cold in winter but feeling cold is not the same as Hypothermia. Hypothermia is the cooling of the body’s internal circulatory system and vital organs. Our body normally regulates our internal body temperature very well by adjusting the amount of food it burns to produce energy/heat. This is also helped by the relative active nature of most people as movement helps produce heat. The best way to avoid hypothermia yourself or anybody around you is to consume adequate amounts of food and water.
The main/typical signs and symptoms of hypothermia are:
• feeling cold and shivering (only up to a certain point)
• confusion
• change in mood and character
• cold and pale skin (due to blood being pulled back inside to the internal organs)
• slurred or confused speech
The best treatment for hypothermia is of course preventing it happening but if you come across a case your aims are to warm the person up slowly. Rapid reheating is likely to bring on Shock and/or Cardiac problems.
When out an about (where most Scouting people like to be) the best way to treat hypothermia is to:
• Bring the person indoors if possible
• Removed wet clothing (keeping in mind the yellow card)
• Wrap in blankets or more clothing layers to insulate them
• Wrap in foil blanket (prevents radiation)
• Sit them on a mat or insulated pad (prevents conduction into the ground)
• Put them, including the preceding wraps, in a bivi bag (prevents convection and evaporation by the wind)
More detailed information can be found in your First Aid course notes and at:
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Hypothermia/Pages/Symptoms.aspx?url=Pages/What-is-it.aspx
Kind Regards for a happy festive season.
www.edsfat.org.uk