Dr. Specht explains why he couldn’t survive
RTL>Messages>
December 31, 2021 – 4:01 pm Clock
Dr. Specht explains how quickly a toddler freezes to death
A 2-year-old boy from Austria freezes to death because he is looking for his parents outside in the freezing cold. They sit with neighbors – and don’t even notice the drama. “At minus 10 degrees and only wearing light pajamas, this toddler had no chance at all,” says Dr. Christoph Specht to RTL.
Dr. Specht: Frozen boy in Austria had no chance
The survival time can be calculated in minutes, the highest in an hour. The boy from Austria would never have been able to survive the night: “Even at temperatures around freezing point, it would have become very critical. A toddler is not yet able to seek shelter. It cools down quickly,” says Dr. Woodpecker a. Minus 10 degrees is an extreme temperature for a small child, because small creatures freeze to death faster than adults.
Children who freeze to death suffer from the cold
In such an extreme situation, the body would try for a while longer to supply blood to the most important organs such as the heart, brain and kidneys. “Then at some point the brain gets out, it comes to unconsciousness. Then the organs fail ”, says Dr. Woodpecker.
Of course, the child will notice that it is cold, the doctor explains. In this phase, the child also suffers from the cold. As soon as the brain gets out, however, no longer: “But until then, it is a cruel feeling”.
Then there is also a clouding of consciousness: “The child is no longer able to perceive the environment properly.” In the case of a change in the feeling of warmth: SHE could then suddenly feel that it is warm even though it is cold. (jmu)