Methods and equipment available for prehospital treatment of accidental hypothermia: a survey of Norwegian prehospital services.

Abstract

Background: Accidental hypothermia is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and poses a significant challenge for both professional and volunteer rescue services in prehospital settings. This study investigated the methods and equipment available to treat patients with cold stress or accidental hypothermia before reaching hospital in Norway.

Methods: We surveyed 156 respondents representing 708 units from both the professional and volunteer Norwegian prehospital chain of care between 2023 and 2024. Professional services included national ground ambulances, boat ambulances, national fixed wing and helicopter air ambulance services, search and rescue helicopter services, and urban search and rescue services. Volunteer services included Norwegian People's Aid and the Norwegian Red Cross Search and Rescue Corps. The survey queried the availability of active warming equipment, passive insulation materials, thermometers for detecting hypothermia, and preferred sites for temperature measurements. The study also investigated whether there has been a development in available equipment compared to a similar study conducted in 2013.

Results: The survey achieved a response rate of 70.5%. Chemical heat pads were the most frequently used type of equipment for active external warming and were the only equipment used by volunteer rescue services. All services possessed equipment for passive external warming, with duvets, space blankets and wool- or cotton blankets being the most commonly available. Thermometers for detecting hypothermia were found in 86.3% of professional rescue services and 15% of volunteer units. Almost all respondents reported consistent equipment setups year-round.

Conclusion: All Norwegian prehospital services, both professional and volunteer, reported having equipment available for active and passive external warming. Thermometers for detecting hypothermia were reported by all professional services. The most notable change in the equipment available to treat patients with prehospital cold stress and accidental hypothermia in Norway was the increased availability of active external rewarming equipment in 2024 compared with that in 2013.