Answer: B - The patient is at highest risk for injury during the rewarming process. The nurse should make this the priority nursing diagnosis for the care plan. All other diagnoses may be relevant to the patient but are not priorities.
A couple of key things to note according to the Missouri Department of Health:
- Warm the body core first, NOT the extremities. Warming the extremities first can cause shock. It can also drive cold blood toward the heart and lead to heart failure
- DO NOT warm the victim too fast. Rapid warming may cause heart arrhythmias and lead to potentially fatal cardiac issues
