Recently, a missing person notice shows that Wang Moubin, a native of Jiangxi, took a train to Xi'an on April 30 to travel to the Qinling Mountains at night and lost contact on May 1. Through browsing records and outdoor group searches, it all pointed to the top of the ice crystal.
On the morning of the 10th, members of the Xi'an Min'an Emergency Rescue Team who participated in the rescue said that Wang Moubin's body was found at about 10 o'clock on the 9th, and it was found a few kilometers near the top of the ice crystals.
Hypothermia, in short, is the imbalance of the body's thermoregulation, heat production is lower than heat dissipation, resulting in the gradual loss of body heat, unable to maintain normal body temperature.
In general, there are three stages in the development of hypothermia: mild, moderate, and severe hypothermia.
In the first stage, the body begins to lose heat and the body temperature begins to drop until the core temperature drops to around 32°C-35°C. At this time, the body's first reaction is to reduce heat dissipation and speed up heat production.
Therefore, in order to speed up heat production, the muscles will contract constantly, and the symptoms of "chills" appear.
In order to reduce heat dissipation, the peripheral blood vessels also begin to constrict, and the blood mainly concentrates on the core part, and the skin gradually becomes pale. At the same time, the rate of qi and blood exchange also decreases, and the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood increases. In order to mobilize the body's organs to remove excess carbon dioxide, the brain is in a state of excitement, and breathing and heart rate increase accordingly. However, after maintaining excitement for a period of time, the brain found that it could not make the body temperature rise, so it began to save energy and reduce emissions, breathing and heartbeat gradually slowed down, muscles gradually stiffened, and the patient's movement became sluggish.
In the second stage, the core temperature drops to around 28-32°C as heat loss continues. The patient is slurred, unresponsive, and in a trance.
At this point, the thermoreceptors are numb and unable to transmit temperature signals to the brain. The hypothalamic thermoregulatory center sends out the wrong command, the peripheral blood vessels open, and the energy stored in the core is dispersed to the skin and other blood vessels in the "energy saving and emission reduction", which makes people feel "as if they are in a hot environment" in a short period of time, but in fact, it brings more heat loss and the result of a rapid drop in core temperature.
In the third stage, the body temperature is severely reduced, and the core temperature drops below 28°C.
At this point, hypothermia is already critical. The patient is unconscious, his breathing and heart rate become slow, his blood pressure drops, his muscles become stiff, his heart trembles, and he is in danger of cardiac arrest at any time.
What should I do if I have hypothermia?
Get out of the hypothermia and move safely: When someone is found to have hypothermia, immediately remove the patient from the hypothermia and move to a warm, sheltered and safe environment or hospital.
Judge the degree of hypothermia and give first aid in time: Judge the hypothermia according to the patient's status, and take corresponding first aid measures or call 120 for emergency treatment according to the severity of his symptoms.
Keep dry, core-warmed: Check the clothes of people with hypothermia and replace damp clothing as soon as possible. At the same time, warm the core area of the hypothermic person with warm equipment, such as hot water bottles, heating patches, etc. It should be noted that only the core should be warmed, and the limbs should not be warmed by rubbing hands and feet, otherwise it will cause cold blood in the limbs to return to the heart, which may cause cardiac arrest.
Eat properly and input energy: Depending on the hypothermia, let the hypothermic person eat some high-calorie, well-eaten liquid food, so that he can quickly replenish energy.
furthermore
While doing outdoor activities
Be sure to pay special attention
Safety hazards around you
Outdoor mountaineering safety tips
Source: Publicity and Education Center, Ministry of Emergency Management
Editor/Reviewer: Zhu Xinkai
Review: Liu Chunxiang