Help! My Client Has Hypothermia!

What should you do if your client shows warning signs of hypothermia?

The first thing you want to do if you suspect hypothermia is to take the client’s temperature. Anything below 95 degrees is a medical emergency, and the client needs to be taken to a hospital!  After calling 911, you can do the following while you wait for an ambulance:

• Take the client somewhere warm. If there is no decent shelter, go to your car, turn on the engine and use the heater.
• Avoid massaging or rubbing the person.  Excessive and/or vigorous movements could trigger cardiac arrest!
• Take off any wet clothing the client may be wearing.  If necessary, cut off the wet clothing to avoid excessive movement.
• Use dry sheets, blankets, clothing…whatever is available to warm the client.  (Do not use direct heat, such as a heating pad or a hot water bottle.  The extreme heat might damage the skin and/or cause cardiac arrest.)
• Keep the client warm around the torso and center of the body, as the vital organs need warmth to keep functioning.  (The core temperature, as it is called, is the most important.  Worry about the arms, legs, hands and feet later.)  After the client’s torso is wrapped, use blankets to cover the whole body, including the head.  Half of all heat lost comes from the head.
• Warm liquids (as long as they are non alcoholic) can be used to warm a client, but do not force them.  Make sure the client is taking the liquid and is fully conscious.
• Serious hypothermia is often accompanied by unconsciousness, as well as a weak pulse and shallow breathing. At this point, a client will need immediate medical attention.  You may need to give rescue breathing to provide adequate oxygen to the client’s body and brain.  If the client’s lips are blue, it is fairly certain that you will need to give rescue breathing.  Note: chest compressions (or full CPR) would not be necessary.  That is reserved for cases of cardiac arrest.
• Make sure there is an ambulance coming, notify your supervisor and ensure the client is being warmed (or at least not losing additional heat) by retaking the temperature.  You want to get it above 95 degrees as soon as possible!