Posted: 7/12/2022
Parkland provides tips to avoid heat exhaustion, heat stroke
Extreme Texas heat plagues Dallas during the summer months with temperatures often soaring in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit. That combined with strenuous physical activity and high humidity can be a recipe for danger, according to Parkland Health physicians.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tracks heat-related deaths in the United States and says around 618 people are killed by extreme heat annually. It defines extreme heat as: “Summertime temperatures that are much hotter and/or humid than average. Because some places are hotter than others, this depends on what’s considered average for a particular location at that time of year.”
The number of heat-related deaths was even higher for a 15-year span from 2004-2018, according to a CDC morbidity and mortality report. During that time, there was an average of 702 heat-related deaths in the U.S. every year. In 59% of those deaths, heat was identified as the underlying cause of death and in 41% of those deaths, heat was identified as a contributing cause of death. The CDC says floods are the second-deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S., accounting for about 98 deaths per year. Most of those deaths are due to drowning.
Since 2012, Parkland Memorial Hospital has treated more than 408 patients with heat-related diagnoses in its emergency department, and physicians warn that even short periods of high temperatures can cause serious health problems.
“Doing too much on a hot day, spending too much time in the sun or staying too long in an overheated place can cause heat-related illnesses,” said Jeffery Metzger, MD, Chief of Emergency Services at Parkland and Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Although the first thought often goes to those who work in construction or on highway or landscape crews, first responders are also at risk for heat-related illnesses.”
Temperatures inside firefighting gear can reach well above what the body can normally tolerate, and the circumstances under which it’s being worn can exponentially impact the amount of fluid the body will lose during exertion.
“The insulative qualities of firefighting gear are such that they can place firefighters at increased risk for heat-related issues even when the temperatures are cool,” said Dallas Fire-Rescue Fire Chief, Dominique Artis. “It’s for that reason that we encourage our members to properly hydrate long before, as well as during and after, having to exert themselves at the scene of a fire or any other incident.”
Heat exhaustion occurs when people are exposed to high temperatures and when the body loses fluids and becomes dehydrated. When heat exhaustion elevates, it may result in heat stroke, a life-threatening medical condition occurring when the body’s cooling system, which is controlled by the brain, stops working. The resulting high body temperature causes damage to internal organs, including the brain, and could result in death.
Symptoms of heat stroke include thirst; red, warm and dry skin; body temperature over 104 degrees Fahrenheit; fast breathing and heart rate; vomiting; muscle cramps; confusion or disorientation and coma.
“If you see any of the warning signs of heat stroke, you may be dealing with a life-threatening emergency,” Dr. Metzger cautioned. “Have someone call 911 for immediate medical assistance while you begin cooling the victim.”
Dr. Metzger offered the following tips to help a heat stroke victim before medical assistance arrives:
- Get the victim to a shady area
- Cool the victim rapidly using whatever methods you can, but avoid an ice bath. For example, place the person in a cool shower; spray the victim with cool water from a garden hose; sponge the person with cool water; or if the humidity is low, wrap the victim in a cool, wet sheet and fan him or her vigorously
- Monitor body temperature and continue cooling efforts until the body temperature drops to 101-102 degrees Fahrenheit
- Do not give the victim fluids to drink if the victim is very confused; if the victim is unconscious, avoid giving them fluids by mouth
- If there is vomiting, make sure the airway remains open by turning the victim on his or her side.
For additional information, visit www.parklandhealth.org.