CDC study finds hypothermia a costly condition at emergency departments

Salt Lake City, Utah — The number of cases of hypothermia and other cold-related diseases is higher than estimated, which can be costly because treatment of these conditions at hospital emergency departments is resource-intensive, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Hypothermia occurs when body temperature drops below 95°F and the cardiac, renal, or central nervous systems are affected. Hypothermia can be fatal when the central nervous system is depressed or the heart does not beat properly, according to an article in the most recent issue of Wilderness and Environmental Medicine, published by the Wilderness Medical Society.

The study found that most patients treated in US hospital emergency departments for hypothermia or cold-related diagnoses were older males unlikely to have health insurance. Treatment of these conditions often involves costly procedures such as cardiac monitoring, intravenous fluids, and electrocardiograms.

“Hypothermia and other cold-related morbidity is a preventable resource-intensive condition that tends to affect the disadvantaged,” write Eduardo Azziz Baumgartner, MD, Martin Belson, MD, Carol Rubin, CVM, and Manish Patel, MD, of the CDC, who outline their study in the article “Hypothermia and Other Cold-Related Morbidity.”

In the study, the researchers examined the frequency and risk factors of hypothermia and cold-related emergency department visits in the United States from 1995 to 2004 but found little has been published on these topics.

“This information is needed to develop public health strategies and interventions for cold-related morbidity and mortality,” they write.

Frequent reasons for hypothermia-related visits to emergency departments include overexposure to cold weather, adverse effects of drug abuse or alcohol, and endocrine, nutritional, or metabolic disorders, according to the study.

The researchers say ways to decrease the risk of hypothermia include wearing a hat, hand coverings, and waterproof clothes to keep the body warm and dry; avoiding alcohol and mood-altering drugs; and learning to recognize the signs and symptoms of hypothermia.

“We have focused on hypothermia and other cold-related morbidity because these conditions are potentially lethal but preventable,” the study authors write.

To read the entire article, visit http://www.allenpress.com/pdf/WEM_19.4_233.pdf

About Wilderness and Environmental Medicine

Wilderness & Environmental Medicine is the official journal of the Wilderness Medical Society and is dedicated to providing valuable information to medical and allied health professionals. Since 1987 the journal has published articles on all aspects of wilderness medicine. For more information about the Society, see http://wms.org.