How Is a Heat Stroke Treated?

Is It Heat Stroke?

The first thing you need to determine to treat any heat-related disorder is which one you're dealing with. The two major categories are heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Heat exhaustion is less serious and is characterized by severe sweating, muscle cramps, weakness, nausea and light-headedness. The main difference between it and heat stroke is that a person suffering from heat stroke will stop sweating. Heat stroke is a much more serious condition and can be life-threatening. It is characterized by abnormally high body temperature, the absence of sweating, elevated pulse, labored breathing, mental disturbance, severe flushing of the skin and in some cases seizure or coma. If you're dealing with heat stroke, you should immediately call an ambulance or seek medical attention, and in the intermediate time period begin first aid treatment.

Immediate Care for Heat Stroke

Your first step should be to call for professional medical assistance. While you're waiting, though, there are several things you can do to treat the heat stroke. First, get the victim seated, out of the sun, and in an air-conditioned area if at all possible. If the heat stroke victim is lucid enough that he can drink, then begin to give him cool water, but not ice water or extremely cold water. Giving him water that is too cold could cause cramping or vomiting. Wet the person's body down with cool water and fan him to cool him down. Also, if you have ice packs, ice cubes or even frozen produce, place them under the heat stroke victim's armpits and apply a cold towel to his forehead. Make sure to wet his hair down thoroughly. Continue fanning him and trying to cool his body temperature until help arrives. If you have a thermometer, then take his temperature. Your goal should be to lower the patient's body temperature to roughly 101 to 102 degrees.

Hospitalized Care for Heat Stroke

Once an ambulance arrives, the paramedics will take over and begin to treat the heat stroke professionally. They will likely administer cool intravenous (IV) fluids to the patient and continue the first aid treatments such as keeping the patient watered down and fanning him. At the hospital, a doctor will use more intensive methods to treat the heat stroke victim if his body temperature is still too far elevated (over about 102 degrees). The doctor may choose to immerse the patient in cold water, continue wetting him down and use evaporation to cool his body, use cold packs or use cooled IV fluids. The whole aim is to get the heat stroke victim's core body temperature under 102 degrees and to rehydrate him. A victim of heat stroke will usually be kept overnight for further observation and to ensure that he is properly hydrated and stable before he leaves.

References

• Heatstroke: First Aid from the Mayo Clinic