Outside Hospital:
- Move patient to a cool place.
- Remove clothing and drench skin with cool water, fan skin.
- Place ice packs on the armpit and groin areas.
- Offer cool fluids if alert and able to drink.
- If person is unconscious, check airway, breathing and pulse.
- Immediately transfer to nearest health care facility.
- Start iv fluids while on the way.
In Hospital
a) External Cooling
- Immersion cooling: Ice baths. (Ice water can reduce core body temperature to less than 39 C in approximately 20-40 min.) or Cooling blankets with ice packs to axilla, groin, neck and head
- Evaporative cooling: the patient’s skin is exposed to warm air at 40 C passing over the body while a mist of cool water at 15 C speeds heat dissipation.
b) Internal cooling
- Gastric, bladder, and rectal cold water lavage
- Peritoneal and thoracic lavage
- Cardiopulmonary bypass or plasma exchange
c) Emergency life support
- Intravenous infusion of normal saline
- Correction of electrolyte disturbances
- Read Initial Post What are Heat Related Illnesses
- Read Previous post Prevention of Heat Related Illnesses
Post pic credits denverhealth.org
Pediatric Practice... Pearls for your Pediatric Office Practice 