title: Warming the head of hypothermic patient - is it always safe?
abstract: The head warming in hypothermic victims is an alternative way of heat donation, which does not inhibit shivering and does not impede the access to the patient's chest. It seems to be a safe method in mild hypothermia. The authors of the review article "Accidental hypothermia - an update" suggest this way of heat donation, without indicating precisely, in which group of patients it can be applied. In severe hypothermia, the brain-protective effect of cold is well known. The decreased need of oxygen allows good neurological outcome after long lasting cardiac arrest. Therefore, in deep hypothermia, the brain tissue should be rather insulated from the heat source than warmed.
authors.affiliation: Polish Society for Mountain Medicine and Rescue, ul. Dębowa 2, Szczyrk, 43-370, Poland. p.podsiadlo.01@gmail.com.|Severe Hypothermia Treatment Center, Krakow, Poland. p.podsiadlo.01@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Paweł
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Podsiadło
authors.affiliation: Polish Society for Mountain Medicine and Rescue, ul. Dębowa 2, Szczyrk, 43-370, Poland.|Severe Hypothermia Treatment Center, Krakow, Poland.|Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, John Paul II Hospital, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland.
authors.forename: Tomasz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Darocha
authors.affiliation: Severe Hypothermia Treatment Center, Krakow, Poland.|Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Pulmonary Hospital, Zakopane, Poland.|Tatra Mountain Rescue Service, Zakopane, Poland.
authors.forename: Sylweriusz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kosiński
mesh_terms: D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000379:methods*; D006257:Head; D006801:Humans; D007035:Hypothermia / Q000628:therapy*; D017694:Rewarming / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Accidental hypothermia; Prehospital treatment; Rewarming