Accidental hypothermia in emergency care: multifactorial triage-based prediction of early critical outcomes in a temperate-climate cohort.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Accidental hypothermia, defined by a core temperature <35 °C destabilizes metabolism, ventilation, and circulation, precipitating malignant arrhythmias or cardiac arrest. We characterized such patients in a Hungarian emergency department and sought early predictors of death or intensive care requirement.

Methods

In this retrospective cohort (2020-2024) at Semmelweis University, adults with measured tympanic temperature <35 °C were identified. Demographics and Hungarian Emergency Triage System categories were recorded. Severity was graded based on the thresholds of Swiss staging and the Wilderness Medical Society classification. The primary outcome was emergency department death or admission to the intensive care unit. Prognostic performance of triage category, adm

SUBMITTER: Adam K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12510580 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature