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Environmental Emergencies
Published in Anthony FT Brown, Michael D Cadogan, Emergency Medicine, 2020
Anthony FT Brown, Michael D Cadogan
Thermoregulatory mechanisms remain intact. Heat crampspain develops in heavily exercising muscles in hot weather secondary to sodium depletion and dehydration.Heat exhaustionthirst, cramps, headache, vertigo, anorexia, nausea and vomiting occurthe patient is flushed and sweating, with rectal temperature of 38–39°Ctachycardia and orthostatic hypotension occur secondary to dehydration.
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): Practical and Theoretical Considerations
Published in Brian J. Lukey, James A. Romano, Salem Harry, Chemical Warfare Agents, 2019
Heat buildup within the protective ensemble provides the physiological basis for (1) painful heat cramps in muscle tissue, (2) heat exhaustion, and (3) heat stroke. If patients experience heat exhaustion, they are still capable of sweating and controlling thermoregulation (temperature control of the body). This less severe diagnosis of heat exhaustion is a diagnosis of exclusion, whose symptoms include exhaustion, weakness, headache, fatigue, light-headedness, and dizziness. Signs of heat exhaustion may also include lethargy, depression, irritability, and confusion, elevated pulse rate, and orthostatic hypotension (low blood pressure when standing erect). Heat stroke produces a situation in which the body’s ability to sweat has been lost, so the skin is hot and dry; additionally, thermoregulation of body temperature (a function of the brain) has been lost; consequently, body temperature rises rapidly to excessive levels. Heat stroke is a true medical emergency, and serious medical consequences, including death, may result if external cooling of the body is not immediately instituted. Signs of heat stroke include delirium, disorientation, combativeness, seizures, collapse (fainting), low blood pressure, and a compensating weak, rapid pulse. Pre- and post-deployment medical monitoring of responders using PPE is absolutely paramount for their safety.
Beach lifeguard first aid
Published in Mike Tipton, Adam Wooler, The Science of Beach Lifeguarding, 2018
No studies were identified specific to the treatment of hyperthermia (heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke) in the lifeguard setting. Guidelines are extrapolated from pre-hospital and emergency department data. Heat illness can be caused by exposure to elevated environmental temperatures, especially with coexistent exertion. Consideration should be given to medical causes such as diabetes, heart disease and medication side effects in patients with non-exertional heat illness. All patients considered to have any heat-related illness should be removed from the exposure to a cooler environment. Patients with heat cramps will require only additional support from salt-containing beverages for oral rehydration. Heat exhaustion should additionally be treated with cooling fans, misting devices or ice packs and transfer to emergency medical services. Heatstroke, as characterized by heat illness with altered mental status or other neurologic deficit, is a life-threatening emergency and should be aggressively treated by any means possible. If the heatstroke is associated with a collapse in peripheral blood flow, cooling will have to be via conductive cooling by immersion in a bath of cold water. Patients with a viable peripheral circulation can be cooled by wetting with misting devices or copious amounts of water and evaporative cooling with fans.
A review of construction workforce health challenges and strategies in extreme weather conditions
Published in International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2023
Sanjgna Karthick, Sharareh Kermanshachi, Apurva Pamidimukkala, Mostafa Namian
Sultana et al. [25] explored health problems faced by women working on construction sites in extremely hot temperatures and found that they exhibited several forms of dermatitis: heat rash (HP8), redness and itchy skin. Hot weather also increases the incidence of injuries and accidents that can result in burns, wounds and even amputations (HP3) [14]. Some of the health problems caused by working in hot weather include heat cramps, edema and chronic kidney disease [18]. Heat cramps (HP4) are usually experienced by workers who sweat less after performing heavy manual work and who do not have enough electrolytes in the bodies; they usually occur when the worker is at rest, after working. Heat edema (HP5) develops in workers who stand for long periods of time [22,23,26] and heat strokes and exposure to high temperatures make workers four times as susceptible to chronic kidney disease (HP6) [27]. Table 3 presents the physical challenges that workers endure while working in extremely hot weather.
Ethyl pyruvate ameliorates heat stroke-induced multiple organ dysfunction and inflammatory responses by induction of stress proteins and activation of autophagy in rats
Published in International Journal of Hyperthermia, 2021
Je-Ming Hu, Chih-Hsueng Hsu, Yu-Chun Lin, Ching-Wen Kung, Shu-Ying Chen, Wen-Ting Lin, Pao-Yun Cheng, Hsin-Hsueh Shen, Yen-Mei Lee
Climate change and the rise in global temperature increase the frequency of extreme heat events, or heat waves, leading to the elevated risk of heat-related illnesses and deaths. Heat-related illnesses include clinical conditions ranging from heat cramps and syncope to heat exhaustion and heat stroke (HS) [1]. Heat stress initiates thermoregulatory responses, including sweating, increased cardiac output and redistribution of blood flow to reduce body temperature [2]. When the ability to physiologically adjust to heat stress has become compromised, cardiac output is insufficient to deal with the high thermoregulatory demand, leading to rapid elevation of core body temperature, which consequently causes direct cell damage, a systemic inflammatory response, and multiple organ dysfunction (MOD) [3].
Exposure to occupational hazards among bakers and their coping mechanisms in Ghana
Published in Cogent Medicine, 2020
Winifred Serwaa Bonsu, Dina Adei, Williams Agyemang-Duah
The study further found that most respondents were exposed to fire because they predominantly use fuelwood as their main source of energy for baking of bread and pastries. To this end, the participants sustained burns because they used their hands in lifting hot baking pans from the oven. This finding agrees with Yossif and Abd Elaal (2012), who indicated that 14 percent of bakers were exposed to burns in Benha City. Besides their exposure to fire hazards, the study revealed that the participants were exposed to a high temperature, which resulted in burns, scalds, fainting, and dizziness. These have confirmed studies by Yossif and Abd Elaal (2012), Aguwa and Arinze-Onyia Sussan (2014), and Ahmed et al. (2009) who stated that fainting, scalds, and burns are common effects of high temperature at the bakery industries. Heat stress leads to heat cramps, heat stroke and long-term death (Commission on Health, Safety and Workers’ Compensation, 2010).