Successful defibrillation in profound hypothermia (core body temperature 25.6 degrees C)

We report a case of successful defibrillation in a severely hypothermic patient with a core body temperature of 25.6 degrees C as measured oesophageally. Ventricular fibrillation is a recognised life threatening arrhythmia in severely hypothermic patients. The traditional wisdom is that this arrhythmia is refractory to defibrillation at temperatures below 28 degrees C.