Accidental Hypothermia in a Swiss Alpine Trauma Centre—Not an Alpine Problem

Katrin Habegger, Simon Brechbühler, Karin Vogt, Jasmin S. Lienert, Bianca M. Engelhardt, Martin Müller, Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos and Monika Brodmann Maeder ()
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Katrin Habegger: Department of Emergency Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
Simon Brechbühler: Department of Emergency Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
Karin Vogt: Hôpital du Valais, Spitalzentrum Oberwallis, 3930 Visp, Switzerland
Jasmin S. Lienert: Department of Emergency Medicine, Fribourg Hospital, 1752 Villars-sur-Glâne, Switzerland
Bianca M. Engelhardt: Swiss Army, Military Medical Service, Regional Military Medical Center of Thun, 3600 Thun, Switzerland
Martin Müller: Department of Emergency Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
Aristomenis K. Exadaktylos: Department of Emergency Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland
Monika Brodmann Maeder: Department of Emergency Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, 3010 Bern, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 17, 1-9

Abstract: Background: Research in accidental hypothermia focuses on trauma patients, patients exposed to cold environments or patients after drowning but rarely on hypothermia in combination with intoxications or on medical or neurological issues. The aim of this retrospective single-centre cohort study was to define the aetiologies, severity and relative incidences of accidental hypothermia, methods of measuring temperature and in-hospital mortality. Methods: The study included patients ≥18 years with a documented body temperature ≤35 °C who were admitted to the emergency department (ED) of the University Hospital in Bern between 2000 and 2019. Results: 439 cases were included, corresponding to 0.32 per 1000 ED visits. Median age was 55 years (IQR 39–70). A total of 167 patients (38.0%) were female. Furthermore, 63.3% of the patients suffered from mild, 24.8% from moderate and 11.9% from severe hypothermia. Exposure as a single cause for accidental hypothermia accounted for 12 cases. The majority were combinations of hypothermia with trauma (32.6%), medical conditions (34.2%), neurological conditions (5.2%), intoxications (20.3%) or drowning (12.0%). Overall mortality was 22.3% and depended on the underlying causes, severity of hypothermia, age and sex.

Keywords: hypothermia; temperature; drowning; trauma; mortality; extracorporeal life support ECLS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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