In near-drowning with suspected hypothermia, which intervention is most appropriate?

• A. Immediate cooling measures
• B. Warm IV fluids, blankets, and warm air
• C. Ice packs to extremities
• D. Rapid defibrillation before warming

Answer: (B)

The key idea is that warming the body is the priority in suspected hypothermia. In a near-drowning situation, core temperature is already falling, and restoring heat helps metabolic and circulatory function recover. Using warm intravenous fluids provides internal warming that circulates through the body, while blankets and warm air provide external, gentle rewarming. This combination supports gradual increase of core temperature and improves the chances of a stable recovery.

Cooling measures would worsen the condition, so cooling the patient is not appropriate. Applying ice packs to extremities can cause peripheral cooling and vasoconstriction, dragging heat away from the core and risking frost injury. Defibrillating rapidly before warming is unlikely to be effective in hypothermia because electrical chances of success are reduced when the core is cold; warming first makes defibrillation attempts more likely to work if needed.