For a patient with signs of severe hypothermia, what should be your primary concern?

For a patient experiencing severe hypothermia, ensuring airway and breathing is the primary concern due to the critical nature of maintaining the patient’s respiratory function. Severe hypothermia can lead to altered mental status, which increases the risk of airway obstruction and respiratory arrest. When the body temperature drops significantly, there can be a decrease in the responsiveness and effectiveness of the respiratory muscles, potentially leading to inadequate ventilation or complete respiratory failure.

In addition, hypothermia can affect the ability of the body to effectively manage airway reflexes. Maintaining a patent airway and ensuring adequate breathing is vital, as any compromise in these functions can lead to further deterioration of the patient’s condition. Therefore, before focusing on interventions such as rewarming or administering oxygen, it is essential to assess and secure the airway and breathing.

While rewarming and checking for a pulse are important components of managing severe hypothermia, they become secondary to the immediate need to ensure that the patient is able to breathe adequately.