When a healthy person is exposed to extreme cold, the following changes may occur and they are:
Hyperthermia — an acute condition that occurs when the %%body produces or absorbs more heat than it can dissipate%%. It is usually due to excessive exposure to heat.
Body temperatures above 40°C (104°F) are life-threatening. This compares to the normal body temperature of 36-37°C (97-98°F).
At 41°C (106°F), brain death begins, and at 45°C (113°F) death is nearly certain.
Internal temperatures above 50°C (122°F) will cause rigidity in the muscles and certainly, immediate death.
Trauma and death from hyperthermia or heat is due to the exposure to heat, derived from:
Three conditions may result due to high environmental temperature:
The following factors are considered predisposing to the effects of hyperthermia:
Scalds — trauma resulting from the application of moist heat commonly involving only superficial layers of the skin.
Moist heat is generated in the following forms:
Clinically scalding is classified into three degrees: