Comparison of three strategies for preventing hypothermia in critically injured casualties during aeromedical evacuation

Abstract

Critically injured patients are at risk for hypothermia. This study determined the efficacy of three hypothermia prevention strategies: the ChillBuster wanning blanket, ChillBuster with a reflective blanket, and two wool blankets. A quasi-experimental design was used to compare changes in core temperature. Following resuscitation from hypovolemic shock, 20 swine were assigned to one of the three interventions, placed in an environmental chamber set to reproduce in-flight conditions onboard a military cargo aircraft (50°F/airspeed 0.2 m/s), and monitored for 6 hours. A repeated measures analysis of variance and least-squared difference post hoc were performed. The ChillBuster/reflective blanket group was significantly warmer than the ChillBuster only group and the wool blanket group (p < 0.01). After 6 hours of cold exposure, the ChillBuster/reflective blanket group remained warm while the ChillBuster only and wool blanket groups developed mild hypothermia. Combined use of a warming blanket and reflective blanket was effective in preventing hypothermia over 6 hours and is feasible in a deployed military environment.