Environmental Illnesses

Question 1

What part of the brain controls thermoregulation?

Answer 1

Hypothalamus

Question 2

The body can control heat by muscle contractions, what are involuntary and voluntary methods of contractions?

Answer 2

Voluntary: Exercise
Involuntary: Shivering

Question 3

Why does the body Vasoconstrict when in a cold environemnt?

Answer 3

Vasoconstriction decreases surface area of vessels, therefore conserving heat. This also efficiently pumps blood back to the torso where the vital organs are kept.

Question 4

What are the 4 mechanisms of heat loss?

Answer 4

Radiation: Travels through air via infrared radiation
Conduction: Through direct contact w/ solid or liquid
Convection: Flowing water or air
Evaporation: State change from liquid to gas requires energy

Question 5

What are 7 factors affecting body temp regulation?

Answer 5

1. Temp of surrounding air or water
2. Air humidity
3. Wind speed
4. Physiological factors
5. Clothing properties
6. Total insulation (adiposity)
7. Skin moisture

Question 6

What are the factors that can affect the ambient temperatures as a combination?

Answer 6

Wind chill is a factor that is made up of cold temperatures + wind speed resulting in a apparent temperature that seems colder than it actually is.

Humidity combines with heat that results in a factor that when combined with actual high temperatures can severely increase risk of heat stress related illnesses.

Question 7

5 Risk factors for temperature related illnesses

Answer 7

1. Age: Old and young people have poor ability to regulate their temperatures
2. Prior history
3. Resp. or CV disease
4. Diabetes or poor circulatory conditions
5. Medications that eliminate water from the body

Question 8

What is the leading cause of death in athletes after traumatic head/spine injuries?

Answer 8

Heat stroke

Question 9

What are the 3 categories of progressive heat related illnesses? What causes them?

Answer 9

1. Heat cramps
2. Heat exhaustion
3. Heat stroke

All are caused by an overexposure to heat. Cramps are a first sign and should be treated quickly before condition worsens.

Question 10

What are heat cramps and when are the likely to occur?

Answer 10

Painful muscle spams that occur usually due to an electrolyte (Na, K, H2O) imbalance after periods of physical exertion in warm to hot climates and characterized by profuse sweating.

Once the cramps have subsided, the athlete is cleared to return to play.

Question 11

When does heat exhaustion occur?

Answer 11

Occurs when the body’s temp rises and is a thermoregulatory response to compensate.

Does not always occur in conjunction with heat cramps

Characterized by profuse sweating, which decreases blood volume. Blood flow to skin is increased in an attempt to promote heat loss, but diverts it away from vital organs.

Question 12

What are the characteristics of heat stroke?

Answer 12

All thermoregulatory mechanisms over overwhelmed and begin to stop functioning.

Often occurs because S/S of heat exhaustion were ignored or not detected in time.

Characterized by body temp exceeding 40°, and lack of sweating as the body has no more fluids available to perspire.

Question 13

What are the big S/S’s of heat exhaustion that are considered a RTD?

Answer 13

Nausea
Vomiting
Fainting
Anxiety
Dizziness

Question 14

How to care for someone suffering of a heat related illness?

Answer 14

1. Applying water directly or a damp cloth/piece of clothing to remain in contact with patients skin
2. Encouraged to drink water or electrolyte replenishment beverage
3. Remove from direct sunlight, or to cooler environment altogether
4. Loosen tight clothing/remove equipment tight to chest

Question 15

What are the 3 stages of cold related illnesses?

Answer 15

1. Frostnip
2. Frostbite
3. Hypothermia

Question 16

What are characteristics of Frostnip?

Answer 16

A minor form of frostbite, it is a superficial condition when skin is exposed to cold temperatures and begins to freeze.

Warming the area against skin, or warm water to treat.

Question 17

What are characteristics of Frostbite?

Answer 17

When the body is exposed to cold for too long, the water inside and between cells begins to freeze and swell, causing damage to cells, vessels and particularly nerves. Considered to be a burn, and the same rules of care apply.

Skin will appear white or waxy, cold and hard to the touch and reduced or complete lack of feeling. After thawing, patient make experience burning, redness, pain, tenderness and blisters.

Question 18

What are some major points of consideration when treating Frostbite?

Answer 18

1. Only thaw the affected area if there is no longer a threat of re-freezing. If thawed while still exposed to cold temperatures, the re-freezing can cause further damage.
2. When thawing, submerge affected area in WARM water, not hot.
3. Fingers should be wrapped individually with NON-ADHERENT gauze

Question 19

What are the 4 distinct phases of Hypothermia?

Answer 19

1. Cold-stressed
2. Mild Hypothermia
3. Moderate Hypothermia
4. Sever Hypothermia

Question 20

What temperature does the body need to drop to, to be considered hypothermic?

Answer 20

35 degrees or below

Question 21

What are some important S/S that could mean a person is regressing from cold stressed to moderate to severe hypothermia?

Answer 21

1. Shivering that stops
2. Lack of coordination or speech
3. Confused or unusual behaviour

Question 22

When assessing vitals on someone suspected to be suffering of hypothermia, why do you need to check for breathing longer than 10 seconds?

Answer 22

You must check for breathing for a full 60 seconds. Bradypnea will have caused breathing to slow so much that breathing may not be detectable in 10 seconds.

Question 23

What is occuring physiologically when someone is drowning?

Answer 23

Drowning is considered suffocation caused my immersion in a liquid. When someone gasps for air, and inhales water or another liquid, this stimulates a laryngospasm, which closes the vocal cords to prevent more liquid from entering the lungs. With the airway naturally closed off, no air can enter and will become hypoxic if not brought above the surface.

Question 24

AT’s are not naturally authorized for water rescues, so what is within our SOP to perform?

Answer 24

1. Talk: Instruct/guide patient to perform self rescue
2. Throw: a rope or bouyant object with or without an attached line to patient
3. Reach: Reach out to patient with rigid object to pull them towards land

If patient is unresponsive, request authorized help. Water is a hazard and if you are not qualified, you must not put yourself in danger.

Question 25

What are the 4 phases of cold water immersion?

Answer 25

1. Cold shock response: rapid cooling of skin causing hyperventilation
2. Cold incapacitation: Further cooling of nervous tissue casuing a loss of coordination and weakness
3. Hypothermia: Usually requires 30 mins for an appropriately dressed adult to become mildly hypothermic
4. Circum-rescue collapse: Can occur at any time during rescue. Symptoms range from syncope to cardiac arrest