Sather’s application of the “no one is dead until they are warm and dead” principle represented the best contemporary thinking in hypothermia medicine.

The fact that it worked — dramatically, completely, with a patient whose apparent presentation suggested no reasonable hope — became part of the evidence base that drove further development of the principle.

The Physiology Of Warming

The process of warming a severely hypothermic patient is not simply the reverse of cooling.

It involves specific physiological challenges that can be as dangerous as the hypothermia itself if not managed carefully.

The most significant of these challenges is afterdrop.