PhD, NRP
Principal Investigator & Paramedic
Hartford HealthCare EMS Network
Meriden, CT
Daniel W. Youngstrom, PhD, NRP, is a paramedic and Principal Investigator of Emergency Medical Services Research for the Hartford HealthCare EMS Network. Dr. Youngstrom earned his Bachelor of Science in Biophysics from the University of Michigan and his PhD in Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences from Virginia Tech.
Prior to joining Hartford HealthCare in 2023, he served as an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. Dr. Youngstrom’s research interests focus on advancing prehospital clinical practice and education through primary research, innovation, and evidence-based medicine.
As part of the “lethal triad,” hypothermia (<95°F, <35°C) increases morbidity and mortality in trauma patients by worsening coagulopathy and acidosis. EMS providers and hospital teams must not only prevent hypothermia but actively apply warming strategies, as injured patients remain vulnerable to heat loss. This study evaluated whether prehospital transport mode (helicopter versus ground ambulance) was independently associated with hypothermia in adult trauma patients. A retrospective review of 740 patients transported to a Level I Trauma Center between August 2023 and January 2025 examined the relationship between hypothermia, transport mode, injury severity score (ISS), shock index (SI), Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and patient demographics. Hypothermia occurred in 12.82% of helicopter-transported patients compared with 6.19% of ground-transported patients. However, after adjustment, transport mode was not independently associated with hypothermia. Only severe injury (ISS >15) and decreased GCS (≤8) were significant predictors.
These findings suggest that increased hypothermia rates among helicopter-transported patients are likely related to greater injury severity rather than transport mode itself. Understanding risk factors can help providers improve prevention and treatment strategies for trauma patients.
