Bobby Perkins-McIntosh

Dehydration, Hypo/Hyperthermia
Dehydration
Body is made of about 60% water. Lose 2% before you become thirsty
Israeli-Egyptian war 1967- 20,000 Egyptians died from dehydration,
Israelis give 5 gallons of water per day.
Mild dehydration thirst, dry mucous membranes (mouth, eyes), dry
armpits, decreased sweating, normal pulse rate
Moderate dehydration the above plus sunken eyes, doughy skin,
weakness, rapid and weak pulse rate
Severe dehydration the above plus altered mental status
(confusion, delirium, fainting), no urine, no tears, no sweating,
dangerously low blood pressure
Follow the 2 Cs
Clear-pee should be clear or light color (some vitamins turn pee
yellow)
Copious-you should be peeing a lot
Body can absorb water at 1.2 quarts per hour or 300 ml every 15
minutes
Sports beverages can have too much sugar for proper digestion 11.25% glucose
Dilute with water to make them less sugary
Never drink coffee, tea, or alcohol. Diuretics, make you pee.
Drink water with your coffee in the morning to make sure you
stay hydrated
If you are losing electrolytes and only drinking water you can become
sick
Add salt to your water
1 quart water, .5-1 teaspoon salt, 6-8 teaspoons sugar or 1-2
table spoons honey
HAVE THEM MAKE A ENERGY DRINK
Acclimatize by doing increasing exercises for min. 1 hr/day 8-10 days
Sweat more with less electrolytes, greater peripheral vessel
dilation, increased water and salt conservation in the kidneys
Dehydration is more likely
During strenuous activities, at high altitudes, and in cold
weather
% water lost and what it effects
4-6%- impatient, headache
10%- dizziness and cyanosis(blue skin and mucous
membranes, lack of
oxygen
12%- difficulty swallowing
15-25%- lethal
Tips to stay hydrated
Drink a little all the time, a lot at meals, and a lot before bed
Drink by your watch
Never rely upon thirst alone to guide fluid replacement
Cool water is easier to digest and does not give cramps

Bobby Perkins-McIntosh

Dehydration, Hypo/Hyperthermia
3-4 quarts per day as baseline
Be sure to check in with your students to make sure that they are
drinking enough water
Taking water breaks often or making drinking games can help
Ask them about their pee and if they are peeing often or not
Be sure not to forget yourself and check that you are not dehydrated.
Heat Transfer
Conduction-direct physical contact. Heat from warm to cold.
Water 25X more efficient than air
Convection-heat transferred through air and water vapor
Radiation-electromagnetic waves, sun
Evaporation-sweat turning from liquid to gas
With hypothermia and hyperthermia we are trying to control these
forms of heat transfer
Hyperthermia
Defined as when the body temperature is between 99.5-101 degrees F
Different than fever because of the reason you are warm
Factors that contribute to hyperthermia
Heat, humidity, poor sweat production, overexertion, toxins,
bodily reasons
Signs of heat exhaustion include
Fatigue, nausea, vomiting, dehydration signs (ask if they
remember)
Damp cloth on head or place of high heat gain
Take off excess clothing
Get in shade
Dont submerge in ice water. Extreme changes can be dangerous.
Hypothermia
Defined as when body temperature falls below 95 degrees F
Most hypothermia cases occur when the temperature is between 40
and 50 degrees
Mild-symptoms can be vague. Shivering, internal functions
(vasoconstriction)
Moderate-violent shivering, mis-coordination, confusion, blue lips
fingers
Family umbling- stumble, fumble, bumble, mumble
Severe-decreased heart rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure.
Cant walk, barley
move.
Must name all 4 or possible severe hypothermia. Name, activity,
date, where
Paradoxical Undressing-occurs in moderate or severe stage. Victim
undresses furthering the heat loss. Muscles relax, cant stress
anymore, feel warm

Bobby Perkins-McIntosh

Dehydration, Hypo/Hyperthermia
Terminal Burrowing-final stage. Victim will crawl or find small place
to die
Steps when someone is showing signs of hypothermia
Remove from the cold. Get to shelter or warmth
Take off wet clothes. Get them dry and keep them dry
Insulate from the ground
Hypothermia wrap.
Cover head to protect from heat loss
Cover hands and feet to protect from frostbite
Monitor the patient
Dress with proper, dry clothing
Warming a victim (be sure to be gentle with a hypothermia patient)
Mild- Passive. Get them into warm clothes or blanket and let
their body warm itself
Moderate- Active. Step 1 and give hot water bottle. Rub to
create friction and
heat. Hot drinks dont physically help but
mentally help
Severe- active. Same as moderate in backcountry. Internal
warming in hospital
Can never warm to violently in the backcountry WFR
Emergency Blanket Demo
Doing Checkups on your participants can help to keep someone with
mild hypothermia from turning into moderate hypothermia
Once again, be aware of yourself too
If just sitting around, your head will lose as much heat as any other
body part
If shivering, can lose up to 55% heat through head
Vasoconstriction, more blood/warmth to head