What should be monitored in a patient suspected of hypothermia?

Monitoring body temperature is crucial in a patient suspected of hypothermia because it directly indicates the severity of the patient's condition. Hypothermia occurs when the body loses heat faster than it can produce it, leading to a core body temperature that drops below the normal range. Accurate measurement of body temperature is vital for assessing the extent of hypothermia and determining the appropriate management and treatment strategies.

Knowing the patient's temperature helps healthcare providers understand how critical the situation is and guide interventions, such as rewarming techniques. Other parameters, such as blood pressure, pulse rate, and respiratory rate, can provide supportive information about the patient's overall condition, but they do not give as direct a measure of the hypothermic state as body temperature does.