What effect does severe hypothermia have on heart function?

Severe hypothermia has a significant impact on heart function, primarily causing the heartbeat to slow down. As a person’s body temperature drops, the physiological processes slow, including heart rate. The heart's ability to generate and conduct electrical impulses diminishes, leading to bradycardia, which is an abnormally slow heart rate. This can progressively worsen and lead to more serious complications, such as potential cardiac arrest if the body temperature continues to fall.

In the context of severe hypothermia, the body's metabolic demands decrease, and the heart responds to this reduced demand by slowing its activity. Other options do not accurately reflect the physiological changes that occur in the heart due to hypothermia, making the understanding of this process critical for managing hypothermic patients effectively.