Measures to Reverse Hypothermia Essay

´Measures to Reverse Hypothermia

´Nursing Interventions to Reverse Hypothermia

´Overview of the Disease

´Hypothermia is a medical emergency that happens when the body starts to lose heat more than it can produce heat. Hypothermia occurs when the body temperature fall below 35 degrees. The normal body temperature is usually 37 degrees.

´Hypothermia is caused by a long exposure to very cold weather conditions. Metabolic disorders, drug toxicity, malnutrition and encephalopathy (Watters, Wilson & Everitt, 2019). Measures to Reverse Hypothermia Essay

´Hypothermia is mostly common in infants. The prevalence for babies born at home is between 10 to 93 percent while the prevalence for babies given birth to at the hospital is between 31 to 84 percent across the world.

´Pathophysiology of the Disease

´Hypothermia have elements that are moderate to severe including significant confusion, drowsiness, weak pulse, apathy and slurred speech.

´The first stage indicates reduced circulation and shivering

´During the second stage, the patient gets slow, lacks coordination, becomes confused, irritable and breathes slowly.

´In the advanced stage, there is absent, slow and sometimes weak pulse and respiration.

´The diagnosis for hypothermia is done through a blood test as well as taking the body temperatures (James, 2020).

´The risk factors for hypothermia include mental disease, old age, drug use and very young age

´The diagnostic procedure for hypothermia is conducted by taking the temperatures of the patient as well as checking the symptoms. The body temperatures and the symptoms determine the stage of the disease whether it is severe, mild or moderate. Measures to Reverse Hypothermia Essay

´Hypothermia is treated by, blood warming, irrigation, airway rewarming, passive rewarming and warm intravenous fluid.

´Assessment of Hypothermia

Subjective Data

History of chief complaint:

üNumbness, shivering, mental confusion.

Past Medical History (PMH):

üLow blood sugar

üAnorexia

Objective Data

Physical Examination/ Vitals:

üPatient is lethargic (Paal et al, 2016)

üHeartbeat 100

üBP 98/68

üTemperatures 34.9 degrees

üSkin turgor is greater than 5 seconds

üWhite Blood Cells 18.6

Diagnostic Procedures:

üBlood gases

üCT scan

üECG

üFBC

ü

´Analysis

Differential diagnosis:

üDrug toxicity like cocaine or benzodiazepine

üCerebrovascular accident. Measures to Reverse Hypothermia Essay

üThiamine deficiency

üHypoglycemia (Kurisu & Yenari, 2018).

üNeuromuscular disease

üMalnutrition

´Planning and Implementations

üGive the patient heated oral fluids

üProvide warming blankets, pads and mattresses

üProvide moisturized and heated oxygen to the patient (Legriel et al, 2016)