INTRODUCTION 



ROBERT D. DRIPPS 



The interest of the Armed Forces in hypothermia was aroused by the possibility 

 of using lowered body temperature to prevent the onset of shock, to treat shock 

 once it had developed, and to permit surgical intervention on patients who might be 

 unable to tolerate the stress of anesthesia and operations at normal body tempera- 

 ture. The initial interest in hypothermia was therefore primarily of a practical 

 nature. 



As clinicians began the practice of reducing the body temperature of patients, it 

 became evident that much additional information was needed on the fundamental 

 alterations in function which accompanied hypothermia. Until these physiologic 

 factors were understood, the use of hypothermia would remain largely empirical. 

 Furthermore, certain primary hazards associated with the lowering of body tem- 

 perature w^ere soon recognized. Rather than approach these in the clinic by trial and 

 error, it seemed essential to enlist the aid of individuals with a basic orientation in 

 various of the medical sciences. 



This conference was consequently designed to bring together clinicians with a 

 practical experience in the problems of induced human hypothermia and research 

 workers with a broad background of related interests. It was our hope that the 

 more important questions in hypothermia would be delineated, that profitable areas 

 of investigation would be outlined, and that through the stimulus of the conference 

 some would return to the laboratory for a fresh look at this intriguing subject. 



The large number of formal presentations and the breadth of the subject limited 

 the time available for free discussion, appraisal, and synthesis of the material. In 

 consequence, several of the participants were asked to review the data presented 

 and to ofTer for inclusion in these pages an evaluation of specific sections. It was 

 hoped that the reviewers would call attention to conflicting data and opposing 

 theories; that the sources of such differences would be pointed out in terms of such 

 variables as differences in technique, experimental design, species studied, tempera- 

 ture range, and degree and type of anesthesia; and that directions for future work 

 would be indicated. This has been attempted by J. W. Severinghaus and S. M. 

 Horvath for the general physiological aspects of hypotliermia ; by C. McC. Brooks 

 and B. F. Hoffman for cardiac irritability; and by R. D. Dripps for the clinical and 

 technical phases of induced hypothermia in man. These will be found at the end of 

 the particular sections concerned. 



I should like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the tremendous amount of 

 effort expended by Drs. Charles D. West and D. Eugene Copeland of the staif of 

 the Division of Medical Sciences of the Academy-Research Council in the prepara- 

 tion of this conference. Their help has been invaluable. 



