Cold shock response

Common card · No. 220692

Cold shock response is a series of neurogenic cardio-respiratory responses caused by sudden immersion in cold water. In cold water immersions, such as by falling through thin ice, cold shock response is perhaps the most common cause of death. Also, the abrupt contact with very cold water may cause involuntary inhalation, which, if underwater, can result in fatal drowning. Death which occurs in such scenarios is complex to investigate, and there are several possible causes and phenomena involved. The cold water can cause heart attack due to severe vasoconstriction, where the heart has to work harder to pump the same volume of blood throughout the arteries. For people with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, the additional workload can result in myocardial infarction or acute heart failure, which ultimately may lead to a cardiac arrest. A vagal response to an extreme stimulus may, in very rare cases, render per se a cardiac arrest. Hypothermia and extreme stress can both precipitate fatal...

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