Question

A 21-year-old female was lost in the woods for several hours. The ambient temperature is 25 degrees Fahrenheit. She is lethargic and confused. The skin on her hands is waxy and white. What should you do

Answer 1

The female should be gently wrapped with dry blankets due to exposure of temperature of about 25 degrees Fahrenheit.

Explanation:

Prolonged exposure to extreme heat or cold conditions can impair the body’s temperature control system.  

In the above case the patient is exposed to extreme cold condition in a wood with a freezing temperature of 25 degrees Fahrenheit (-3 degrees Celsius) which leads to hypothermia and frostbite.

Extreme cold conditions can freeze the tissue layers of the parts of the skin exposed like those of the face, hands and feet especially. Due to this the skin becomes white (even grayish yellow or blue) and waxy, cold and numb, and the outer surface may become hard and blistered. There will also be extreme pain, stinging and tingling sensation in the exposed areas.  

These changes are mainly due to impaired blood circulation and hypothermia. Hypothermia which is lowering of body temperature causes confusion and lethargy.

The first-aid given for frostbite primarily includes warming the body. The affected person’s body should be covered with warm and dry blankets gently and loosely and any wet clothes should be removed.  

So when the body is warmed, the body temperature also will increase and correct the hypothermic symptoms like lethargy and confusion.