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Emergency Medicine & First Aid vocabulary · Medical Emergencies

Hypothermia

Meaning in emergency medicine & first aid, with examples

/ˌhaɪpoʊˈθɜːrmiə/nounCommon term

In emergency medicine & first aid, hypothermia means: A dangerous fall in body temperature, generally below 35°C, after exposure to cold air or water, causing shivering, confusion and a slower pulse and breathing.

In Turkish: hipotermi, vücut ısısının aşırı düşmesi

How it is used

Seen in people lost in the mountains or rescued from water, in homeless people and in older people in cold homes. It is graded mild, moderate or severe. It also matters in trauma, because cold patients bleed more. In cold-water rescues you may hear 'not dead until warm and dead'.

Example sentences

  1. He was found in the snow with hypothermia, core temperature 31 degrees.

  2. Trauma patients lose heat quickly, so we work hard to prevent hypothermia.

Common collocations

  • mild hypothermia
  • severe hypothermia
  • prevent hypothermia
  • accidental hypothermia
  • shockA life-threatening condition in which not enough blood and oxygen reach the body's organs, for example after heavy bleeding, a severe infection or a serious allergic reaction.
  • traumaPhysical injury to the body caused by an outside force, such as a road crash, a fall, an assault or an explosion, especially when it is serious.
  • vital signsThe basic measurements that show how the body is coping, usually pulse, breathing rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, temperature and level of consciousness.
  • cardiac arrestA sudden stop in the heart's effective pumping, so that blood no longer reaches the brain and the person collapses and stops breathing normally.

More terms: Medical Emergencies

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not medical advice.