Exertional heat illness in a Marine training on the endurance course.
Publication/Presentation Date
6-1-2012
Abstract
Exercise-induced heat stroke is defined as core temperature greater than 104 degrees F (400 degrees C) accompanied by signs or symptoms of organ system failure, most commonly CNS dysfunction. Exertional heatstroke is a life-threatening emergency that requires immediate whole-body cooling for a satisfactory outcome. Cooling should be initiated and, in the absence of life-threatening complications, completed on site prior to evacuation to an emergency department or other facility. Cool-water immersion provides the fastest whole body cooling rate and the lowest morbidity and mortality for exertional heat stroke. When water immersion is unavailable, ice water towels combined with ice packs on the head, trunk, and extremities provide effective but slower whole-body cooling. Medications, including antipyretics and dantrolene, are not effective in treating heatstroke and should not be used. Clinical observations indicate that prognosis is closely linked to the amount of time a patient's temperature remains elevated. Prevention strategies are essential to reducing the incidence of exertional heatstroke, heat exhaustion, and exercise-associated muscle cramping.
Volume
25
Issue
6
First Page
36
Last Page
38
ISSN
1547-1896
Published In/Presented At
Rohe S. T. (2012). Exertional heat illness in a Marine training on the endurance course. JAAPA : official journal of the American Academy of Physician Assistants, 25(6), 34–38. https://doi.org/10.1097/01720610-201206000-00007
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences
PubMedID
22693882
Department(s)
Department of Surgery
Document Type
Article