Premergency First Aid, CPR and AED Manual

9 Other Emergencies

Heatstroke Heatstroke is the least common but most dangerous of heat illnesses. It occurs when the body becomes overwhelmed by a hot environment and can no longer get rid of the excess heat. Body temperature rises very quickly, up to 41°C (106°F) and tissue begins to be destroyed. Untreated, heatstroke will result in death. Heatstroke can occur in the same conditions as other heat injuries. It can also occur during heat waves to people, especially the elderly, living in poorly ventilated homes with no air conditioning. It can also occur in children left unattended in a car on a hot day. A patient with heatstroke caused by exercise may still have moist, wet skin in the early stages, but it will be warm, not cool, as in heat exhaustion.

Sign and Symptoms – Heat stroke

As the body loses the ability to regulate heat, the skin will become hot, flushed, and dry. Be aware of a patient who has stopped perspiring, especially if it is hot enough that you feel hot. • Nausea, vomiting, headache. • Warm, flushed skin. May be wet or dry. • Change in behaviour, quickly becoming unresponsive, then unconscious. • Seizures. • Initial rapid pulse becoming progressively weaker as patient becomes less responsive. • Increased breathing rate. • Signs and symptoms of shock.

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