title: Hypothermia.
abstract: Hypothermia in the hospitalized adult may be a primary process, as in exposure, or a result of a multitude of disease processes or iatrogenic factors. The condition affects virtually every metabolic process in the body. A thorough understanding of the pathophysiology of hypothermia enables the clinician to differentiate between the hypothermic syndrome and underlying illness and can assist in the detection and management of clinical sequelae. A reliable patient history is the most helpful diagnostic tool, but careful physical examination and laboratory studies are also important for detection of primary or secondary illness.
authors.affiliation: Division of Trauma and Surgical Critical Care, University of Pennsylvania Medical Center, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Haskell
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Boruta
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Rotondo
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Frankel
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000465:Algorithms; D003422:Critical Care; D003663:Decision Trees; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000451:nursing / Q000503:physiopathology; D009730:Nursing Assessment