Severe hypophosphatemia as a complication of the treatment of hypothermia.

Severe hypophosphatemia (less than 1.0 mg/dL) has been described in only a few well-defined clinical situations. Reported here is the first case, to my knowledge, of severe hypophosphatemia occurring during the rewarming of a profoundly hypothermic patient. Urinary excretion of phosphorus was minimal, implying a shift of phosphorus into the intracellular space.