Successful resuscitation from accidental hypothermia of 11.8°C: where is the lower bound for human beings?

Abstract

We present the case of a 27-month-old boy who underwent accidental hypothermia to 11.8°C and was resuscitated with prolonged rewarming with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation without significant neurological impairments. This is probably the lowest temperature ever documented, at which a human being has been successfully resuscitated from accidental hypothermia after the long period of circulatory arrest.

Keywords: Accidental hypothermia; Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; Prolonged rewarming.