Hypothermia in a desert climate: severity score and mortality prediction

Abstract Introduction The goal of our study was to characterize patients admitted to the hospital with hypothermia in a desert climate. Methods This was a retrospective study (1999-2005) in a 1200-bed tertiary care hospital in southern Israel. Patients' data and weather condition (including mea...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American journal of emergency medicine 2008-07, Vol.26 (6), p.683-688
Main Authors: Elbaz, Gabby, MD, Etzion, Ohad, MD, Delgado, Jorge, MD, Porath, Avi, MD, Talmor, Daniel, MD, MPH, Novack, Victor, MD, PhD
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy
Arid climates
Arid zones
Biological and medical sciences
Body Temperature
Chi-Square Distribution
Climate
Comparative analysis
Deserts
Disease
Drug abuse
Emergency
Emergency and intensive cardiocirculatory care. Cardiogenic shock. Coronary intensive care
Emergency medical care
Female
High temperature
Hospitalization
Hospitals
Humans
Hypothermia
Hypothermia - mortality
Hypothermia - therapy
Intensive care
Intensive care medicine
Israel - epidemiology
Low temperature
Male
Medical sciences
Middle Aged
Mortality
Predictive Value of Tests
Retrospective Studies
Risk Assessment
Risk Factors
ROC Curve
Sepsis
Severity of Illness Index
Statistics, Nonparametric
Temperature
Variables
Weather
Wind speed
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Summary:Abstract Introduction The goal of our study was to characterize patients admitted to the hospital with hypothermia in a desert climate. Methods This was a retrospective study (1999-2005) in a 1200-bed tertiary care hospital in southern Israel. Patients' data and weather condition (including mean day high and low temperatures, humidity, wind velocity and precipitation) within 48 hours before admission were assessed. Results One hundred sixty-nine patients with hypothermia were admitted. The mean highest environmental temperature over 48 hours before admission was 15.3°C in the severe hypothermia (9 cases, 5.3%), 21.4°C in the moderate (40 cases, 23.7%), and 29.3°C in the mild group (120 cases, 71.0%). Major medical conditions associated with decreased body temperature were sepsis (65, 38.5%), trauma (34, 20.1%), endocrine disorders (19, 11.2%), and substance abuse (15, 8.9%). The inhospital mortality rate was 47.3%. A risk score based on 5 admission variables (age ≥70 years, mean arterial pressure
ISSN:0735-6757
1532-8171
DOI:10.1016/j.ajem.2007.10.016