Space blankets work on the basis of reflecting radiant heat back towards the subject and by minimising heat loss via convection (air trapped in the layer between the blanket and the skin), which is fine if the person is warm to begin with. The major limitation with space blankets is that once they fog up they are unable to reflect radiant heat back. Humans produce water vapour so the reflective nature of the space blanket will always be short-lived. A far more cost effective means of preventing heat loss therefore is to use a polythene (plastic) bag.
There is no scientific evidence in the published medical literature to support the notion that space blankets work. In the only published paper where the space blanket was studied in the operating theatre it was found to be less effective than two thin cotton blankets!
A good analogy to the space blanket are the cooler or chilly bags that people use to keep beer, wine and other drinks cool. These bags are lined with a silver reflective material to keep the cold in. Why then in a case of hypothermia, where the patient is already cold would a space blanket warm the person up??
Bottom line: space blankets are flash looking wind-breaks/ground sheets and whilst they are very good for this purpose they in my experience are hopeless when it comes to treating hypothermic patients. If you do use a space blanket for goodness sake make sure the person is wrapped in an ordinary blanket first!Get more detail about Emergency Thermal Blankets (4 Pack).
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