HEAT STROKE
Prepared by:
Jesther Rose L. Rojas
BSN 2D
HEAT STROKE
●Heat stroke is a form of hyperthermia in which
the body temperature is elevated dramatically.
●Heat stroke is a medical emergency and can be
fatal if not promptly and properly treated.
Causes
●Extreme heat, high humidity, or
vigorous physical exertion under the
sun
●Dehydration- A dehydrated person
may not be able to sweat fast enough
to dissipate heat, which causes the
body temperature to rise.
Signs and Symptoms
●Sometimes a person experiences symptoms of
heat exhaustion before progressing to heat strokes.
Signs and Symptoms include:
●Nausea
●Vomiting
●Fatigue
●weakness
●Headache
●Muscle cramps
●dizziness
Who are at risk?
●Infants
●the elderly (often with associated heart
diseases, lung diseases, kidney diseases, or
who are taking medications that make them
vulnerable to dehydration and heat strokes)
●athletes
●individuals who work outside and physically
exert themselves under the sun.
Treatment
Victims of Heat Stroke must receive immediate treatment to avoid
permanent organ damage.
COOL THE PATIENT
●Get the victim to a shady area, remove clothing, apply cool or
tepid water to the skin (for example you may spray the victim
with cool water from a garden hose), fan the victim to
promote sweating and evaporation, and place ice packs under
armpits and groin.
●If the person is able to drink liquids, have them drink
cool water or other cool beverages that do not contain
alcohol or caffeine.
●Monitor body temperature with a thermometer and continue
cooling efforts until the body temperature drops to 101 to 102
F (38.3 to 38.8 C).
●Always notify emergency services (911) immediately. If their
arrival is delayed, they can give you further instructions for
treatment of the victim.
Prevention
●The most important measures to prevent heat strokes are to
avoid becoming dehydrated and to avoid vigorous physical
activities in hot and humid weather.
●If you have to perform physical activities in hot weather,
drink plenty of fluids (such as water and sports drinks), but
avoid alcohol, caffeine (including soft drinks and tea), and tea
which may lead to dehydration.
●Your body will need replenishment of electrolytes (such as
sodium) as well as fluids if you sweat excessively or perform
vigorous activity in the sunlight for prolonged periods.
