Peter Paal

Peter Paal

Consultant, anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Austria

Presents: 

Accidental Hypothermia

Synopsis: 

Accidental Hypothermia is a drop in core temperature <35oC.  Accidental hypothermia can be primary (induced by environmental factors) or secondary (due to underlying illness or intoxication).  Treatment consists of diagnosis of accidental hypothermia, selection of the appropriate hospital and rewarming method, which is active minimally- invasive rewarming (in hospital with blankets and warm infusions) for patients with persistent circulation and invasive rewarming (extracorpeal life support- ECLS- with ECMO or CPB) in patients in cardiac arrest.  The HOPE score should be used in-hospital for outcome prediction in hypothermic arrested patients prior to establishing ECLS rewarming.  A post-resuscitation care bundle is required after successful resuscitation of arrested patients.  Accidental hypothermia cases are rare, therefore data should be pooled in registries e.g., in the international hypothermia registry (https://www.hypothermia-registry.org)

Peter Paal’s book:

https://www.edrapublishing.com/emergency-medicine/24/mountain-emergency-medicine.html

Bio:

Peter is an Anaesthesiologist and Intensivist with several years’ experience of pre-hospital emergency medicine, terrestrial and air-bound.

Peter is also an ICAR MEDCOM member and research lead. He sits on the Austrian Board of Mountain Safety, as President as well as the Austrian Society of Mountain and High-Altitude Medicine, vice-president. His research focus includes Airway, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, circulation, emergency medicine, extreme environments including hypothermia and avalanches.

Hobbies: Mountain sports all year round, travelling, culture.