Beat Walpoth
MD, professor Emiratus
Presents:
Synopsis:
As you well know, transient mild hypothermia is common and usually without consequences for the brain or other organs. However, prolonged deep hypothermia (body temperature <28°C) due to accidents is relatively rare and usually associated with premature death due to cardiopulmonary arrest and can be successfully resuscitated by Extra-Corporeal Life Support (ECLS). In addition, fatal outcomes from such accidents are under-reported but much could be learned from such cases. We therefore created the International Hypothermia Registry (IHR) to improve outcome of deep accidental hypothermia victims.
Over the last ten years we have gathered more than 250 patients data worldwide and are currently in the process of updating our IT system to RedCap. (htpps://www.hypothermia-registry.org; available end of the first trimester 2021). The data is anonymized and hosted on a highly secured server at the University Hospital of Geneva.
The success of this Registry is depending on you. Data retrieval, analysis and publication can only be made by the International Working Group on Accidental Hypothermia (IWAH). However, each centre is responsible for its patient data, Ethical Approval and is free to access and publish its own data.
Bio:
Beat H. Walpoth, MD, is a trained cardiovascular surgeon. He obtained his medical degree in 1972 at the University of Zurich. Postgraduate training included 2 years at Harvard University, Boston (1973-75) and cardiac transplantation at Stanford University (1982-84).
He holds a visiting professorship at the University of Verona, Italy. He has over 100 publications including “Outcome of Survivors of Accidental Deep Hypothermia and Circulatory Arrest Treated with Extracorporeal Blood Warming” published in the New England Journal of Medicine and which is still the keystone paper on rewarming victims in deep accidental hypothermia with cardiac arrest using extracorporeal life support ECLS.
The organizer of several congresses especially the International Symposia on Accidental Hypothermia (Cortina, Zermatt, Tromso, Bozen and Interlaken); he has served on many international hypothermia panels and was the chairman of the task force on Drowning Hypothermia. At the University Hospital of Geneva he and his team have developed the International Hypothermia Registry (https://www.hypothermia-registry.org).