Hypothermia among trauma patients in the Emergency Department (ED): a review of documentation and management

Background As a component of the lethal triad in trauma; hypothermia is associated with a significantly worse outcome. It is an independent indicator of mortality, and early recognition and aggressive management is therefore critically important. St. Georges is a major trauma centre and currently sees around 120 trauma patients per month. We designed an audit to determine our current practice of temperature measurement in trauma, and to evaluate our management of hypothermia in trauma.