Resuscitation is required whenever a patient is unable to breath or their heart stops beating. This may be due to a medical condition such as a heart attack or a result of trauma caused by an accident. While cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is essential, hypothermia may occur, especially in instances of trauma, and exacerbate the patient's condition, leading to long term complications and even death. EMS personnel need to be cognizant of this risk, and if there's any indication of hypothermia, take immediate steps to warm the patient.

 Winter brings a thrilling, brisk feeling with a chill in the air and fresh coatings of snow and ice. Skiers rejoice as untouched white powder begins to coat the slopes and children dream of new snow creations, while daily commuters start to break out the shovel. Winter can mean different things to different people, but to emergency service personnel it will always mean a new round of winter accidents and new challenges in winter emergency care.

Backyards and public pools, as well as rivers, lakes, and oceans, provide easy relief from the summer heat and many families enjoy spending time together both in and on the water.

As Ryan Gerecht, MD, CMTE, delineated in this JEMS Article, traumatic shock is defined as inadequate blood supply to end organs due to blood loss, with the physiological consequences of hypovolemia, and hypotension. The resulting poor oxygen supply to vital organs can cause lactic acidosis (defined as an arterial pH of less than 7.35). In turn, coagulation and body temperature become deregulated in an environment of acidosis. In a continuing vicious cycle, hypothermia will then add to the poor response of platelets and clotting factors, causing hemorrhage to become worse.

The Basics 

Like most EMT and paramedic professionals you probably have a good grasp of how hypothermia in the field can adversely affect the outcome of the patient in traumatic shock; but often the imperative to provide fluid resuscitation, hemostasis, and CPR becomes your more overriding concern.

Mylar hypothermia blankets are a product of the space race when scientists needed a lightweight material to reflect the sun's heat. The resulting product is comprised of a thin plastic sheet coated with a shiny, reflective aluminum metallic film. Thanks to its high gloss and impervious nature, this material is strong, has excellent reflective properties as well as being wind- and waterproof. Because it was initially produced for NASA, Mylar blankets are colloquially known as space blankets.

The “trauma triad of death” is well known to EMS professionals. Sometimes referred to as “the lethal triad”, it consists of hypothermia, coagulopathy and acidosis occurring in victims who have experienced multiple trauma.

As EMS service providers, you have the training and experience required to provide quick and effective care to trauma patients. Often, a combination of kind words, a non-threatening environment and a warm blanket creates a sense of well-being, which can make a real difference in a patient’s perception of their situation. EMS blankets, play an important role in improving patient outcomes. Medical blankets, which may rank among the least appreciated items in the EMS tool chest, not only provide warmth, but also protect patients and emergency responders against injury. Designed for different uses, and available in a variety of materials, EMS blankets play an important role in improved patient care outcomes.

Being in the business of rescuing people, you understand the importance of emotional support. Whether you employ firefighters, EMTs, Paramedics or other EMS providers, the people on the front line have a duty to act quickly and not just physically rescue those in danger but to also mitigate their trauma and comfort them in their dark hour of stress. Blankets are essential to this task.

The calendar says that the official beginning of winter is still a month away, but the weather maps on our televised newscasts are telling us a different story. Already we are seeing videos of snow plows clearing highways in Utah and freezing weather has made an appearance in the Upper Midwest and New England states. So, if you haven’t done it already, now is the time to review your inventory of blankets for your EMS vehicles.