hypothermia

Definition

Abnormally low body temperature below 95°F (35°C), when your internal thermostat fails and you become a human popsicle. It's the reason trauma patients get warmed blankets and why cold water drowning victims sometimes survive against odds.

Example Usage

The exposure victim's core temperature of 88°F indicated severe hypothermia requiring active rewarming measures.

Origin

From Greek 'hypo' (under) + 'therme' (heat)

Fun Fact

Moderate to severe hypothermia can actually be protective during cardiac arrest—the phrase 'they're not dead until they're warm and dead' reflects how hypothermia slows metabolism and can preserve brain function.

Source: Emergency medicine and critical care standards

Related Terms

Advanced

precedex

Brand name for dexmedetomidine, a sedative that keeps patients calm and cooperative without completely knocking them out. The ICU's chemical chill pill that makes mechanical ventilation more tolerable for everyone involved.

🏥 Healthcare / Medical

Beginner

Rounds

The daily ritual where a herd of doctors and medical students parade through the hospital, stopping at each patient's bed to discuss them as if they are not right there listening to every terrifying word. The medical equivalent of a walking meeting.

🏥 Healthcare / Medical

Beginner

placebo effect

When fake treatment produces real results because the brain is weirdly powerful and suggestible. The reason clinical trials need control groups and pharmaceutical companies have complicated feelings about.

🏥 Healthcare / Medical

Beginner

Dosage

The specific amount of medication you are supposed to take, which exists on a spectrum between "not enough to do anything" and "you will see colors that do not exist." Getting it right is the pharmacological equivalent of Goldilocks trying porridge.

🏥 Healthcare / Medical

Intermediate

defibrillation

The controlled electrocution of someone's heart to reset its rhythm when it's freaking out and beating chaotically. It's shocking a fibrillating heart back to normal function, preferably before brain damage sets in from lack of oxygen. Basically, it's turning your heart off and on again, except the stakes are slightly higher than rebooting your computer.

🏥 Healthcare / Medical

Beginner

malaise

A general feeling of discomfort, illness, or unease whose exact cause is difficult to identify. The medical equivalent of 'I just don't feel right' that doctors actually take seriously.

🏥 Healthcare / Medical

Translate This Term

See “hypothermia” in Corporate Speak, Gen-Z Slang, Pirate Speak, and more.

Try the Translator

Share This Term

Post on X Share on Facebook Share on LinkedIn

Discover a Term

Beginner

unhinged

Behavior that's wildly chaotic, unpredictable, or socially inappropriate in an entertaining way. The sweet spot between ...