HYPOTHERMIA TREATMENT: What to do ... on Passport to 
Texas.
____________________________________________________________

Passport to Texas from Texas Parks and Wildlife 

When the wind starts rushing across the wide open plains 
of Texas State Parks this winter, backcountry enthusiasts 
will feel it. The cold temperatures and strong winds 
increase Texans' risk for hypothermia, a potentially 
serious condition where the body's core temperature 
drops below normal. 

Dorian Drigalla (Dre-gal-a) is an assistant professor of 
emergency medicine at Scott and White Memorial 
Hospital. 

The first thing to try to do is to get the patient to the warmest 
possible environment, whether that be getting them out of the 
wind or out of the water. So the first two things to be concerned 
about on a hike or in the wilderness are basically to remove 
everything possible wet, get the patient dry and try and get 
them into a warmer environment. Even if that just means out of 
the wind behind shelter even of a hillside. Then you want to try 
additional measures, whether that's using insulating materials 
like a sleeping bag or dry clothing to warm the patient and also 
ingestion of warm liquids can help. If the person is cold and 
they're already in water, the water between them and their 
clothing is actually insulating. The heat is conducted out of the 
body and into the water but it's maintained between them and 
their clothing. And it's only if those clothes can come off and all 
the water can be removed that that's actually helpful. (00:51) 

More information at passporttotexas.org.

That's our show ... with research and writing help from 
Kate Lipinski... For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia 
Nasti.