Hyperthermia/Heat Stress

Question 1

What are the care objective in hyperthermia?

Answer 1

1. Identify and appropriately manage hyperthermic patients with urgency relative to their presentation?
2. The focus of treatment must be on aggressive cooling.

Question 2

What are the 3 major listed causes of heat illness?

Answer 2

1. Environmental
2. Exertional
3. Chemically mediated

Question 3

Define heat stroke.

Answer 3

Temperature >40 with associated CNS dysfunction.

Question 4

In the event of a crossover between environmental/exertional heat illness and toxin induced, what is the focus?

Answer 4

Aggressive cooling.

Question 5

When deciding to treat a patient as a heat stroke/illness, what temperature is generally expected? Is this a deciding factor in deciding to treat or not?

Answer 5

Above 38.

No, if heat stroke is the likely presentation and other illnesses excluded, cool aggressively.

Question 6

What position should heat illness patients be maintained in and why?

Answer 6

Gentle handling, position flat or lateral.

Avoid head up positioning as this may precipitate hypotension, collapse and possible arrhythmias.

Question 7

List 4 possible methods for cooling.

Answer 7

1. Strip/spray/fan
2. Oral fluids
3. IV fluids
4. Ice bath/cold shower

Question 8

What is the target temperature for hyperthermic patients?

Answer 8

Below 40 degrees withing 30mins of onset of symptoms.

Question 9

The hyperthermia guideline can be applied to febrile due to suspected infection patients. T/F?

Answer 9

Not for use in the febrile patient due to suspected infection.

Question 10

List the criteria to consider a patient as having a heat related illness requiring cooling.

Answer 10

Elevated temperature and any of:

1. ALOC/confusion/incoherent speech
2. Dizziness/collapse
3. Nausea and vomiting
4. Abnormal gait
5. Seizures

Question 11

What other additional assessment should be considered in the altered conscious hyperthermic patient?

Answer 11

BGL.

Question 12

List the potential circumstances in which a patient might sustain an Exertional Heat Illness.

Answer 12

Athletic training
Manual labour
Working in heavy clothing
Elderly/frail in a hot environment

Question 13

List the potential drugs that may result in a Toxin Induced hyperthermia.

Answer 13

Psychostimulants
Anticholinergics
Phenothiazines
Serotonergics