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Theraputic Hypothermia. Hypothermia, defined as a core body temperature less than
95 °F(35°C) occurs when heat loss exceeds the body's heat production. ...
Submitted by oppapers on November 24, 2002
Category: Science
Words: 1985 | Pages: 8
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Hypothermia, defined as a core body temperature less than 95 °F(35°C) occurs
when heat loss exceeds the body's heat production. (Ruffolo p.47) Thermal stability in
humans depends on the body's ability to adapt to changes in internal and external
temperatures. Heat is transferred throughout tissues and fat, and is released at a rate
directly related to the temperature of the environment through radiation, conduction,
convection, and evaporation.
Hypothermia is typically seen as a bad thing; however, various studies have been
proving it to be very useful. Traumatic brain injury initiates several metabolic processes
that can exacerbate the injury. There is evidence that hypothermia may limit some of these
deleterious metabolic responses. In a randomized controlled trial researchers compared
the effect of moderate hypothermia and normhypothermia in 82 patients with severe
closed head injuries (score of 3 to 7 on the Glasgow Coma Scale) The patients assigned to
hypothermia were cooled to 33 degrees C an average of 10 hours after injury, kept at 32
degrees to 33 degrees C for 24 hours, and then re-warmed. A specialist in physical
medicine and rehabilitation who was unaware of the treatment assignments evaluated the
patients 3, 6, and 12 months later with the use of the Glasgow Outcome Scale. The
demographic characteristics, causes, and severity of injury were similar in the hypothermia
group and the normothermia groups. At 12 months 62% of the patients in the
hypothermia group and 38% in the normothermia had good outcomes (moderate, mild, or
no disabilities). The researchers concluded that "Treatment with moderate hypothermia for
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