thermal injuries Flashcards
What is exertion hyperthermia?
The body overheats during exercise
what are the primary causes of hyperthermia?
- sweating without rehydrating
- lack of acclimatization
what is acclimatization?
the ability to acclimate (adjust) to different conditions
what are secondary risk factors to hyperthermia?
clothing, equipment, medical history, and fitness level
what sports are at risk of hyperthermia?
summer sports
what are the two biggest environmental aspects related to heat illness?
heat and humidity
what is syncope?
the feeling of being faint
true or false: syncope is a sign of heat related illness?
true
what are 6 intrinsic risk factors to hyperthermia?
- age
- somatotype (physique)
- fitness level
- previous history
- hydration status
- post-illness
what ages are at a higher risk of hyperthermia?
very young and very old individuals
what body type is an endomorph?
a compact individual that tends to have more body fat
what body type is an ectomorph?
someone that is more lean and taller
what body type is a mesomorph?
someone that has a more muscular build
true or false: ectomorphs tend to struggle with sweating
false, they tend to sweat easily
why does an individual that just had an illness at a higher risk for hyperthermia?
a virus could have impacted someones fluid balance.
what are 4 extrinsic risk factors to hyperthermia?
- ambient temperature
- relative humidity
- clothing/equipment
- activity level
what is thermoregulation?
the body’s ability to maintain or regulate core temperature at a safe level
what is a safe core temperature?
around 98.6
does hyperthermia or hypothermia have more gain than loss (gain>loss)
hyper
does hyperthermia or hypothermia have mored loss than gain (loss>gain)
hypo
what are 4 ways the body gains heat?
- solar radiation
- ambient temperature
- metabolic functions (BMR)
- exercised/physical activity (work)
what are 4 ways the body loses heat?
- conductive
- convective
- radiant
- evaporative
what is the primary way the body loses heat during exercise?
evaporative
what is conduction?
transferring heat from water to cooler object through direct contact
what are examples of conduction?
wet towel, ice packs, ice baths
what is convection?
the transfer of heat between an object and environment through a medium (like air or water)
does convection cooling help with conduction cooling?
yes
what is the cutaneous thermopane?
when the body traps heat at the skin layer and prevents conductive cooling
what is radiation cooling?
the transfer of heat in a vacuum (or a room)
what is evaporation cooling?
transfer of heat through changing physical states (liquid to gas)
what is the most efficient way to lose heat?
evaporation
does humidity hinder or help with evaporative cooling?
hinder
how is hydration related to heat illness?
protective mechanism
why does fluid balance have such an impact on heat illness?
water has a high capacitance for heat storage
what is the rapid loss of fluid balance on an acute level?
hypohydration
what is the gradual loss of fluid balance over days (a chronic level)
dehydration
how much of our body weight is water?
60%
does sweating lower or increase blood volume?
lowers
what are the 4 compartments where water is stored?
- intracellular
- extracellular
- transcellular
- blood and lymph
what are sources of water input?
drinks, foods, and metabolic reactions
what are sources of water output?
excretory, sweating, and breathing
what part of the brain is considered the internal thermostat?
hypothalamus
how does sweating get triggered?
if the hypothalamus detects a core temperature over a certain threshold, it will activate the sweat mechanism
is sweating enhanced with circulating levels of epinephrine?
yes
what is another name for epinephrine?
adrenaline
what does the adrenal cortex secrete which helps reabsorb sodium in the kidneys and sweat glands
aldosterone
what does the posterior pituitary gland secret to help retain water din the kidney?
vasopressin (ADH)
what sport has the most cases and fatalities to exertional heat illness
football
is exertional heat illness preventable?
yes
what are the 3 grades of EHI?
- mild (syncope)
- medium (exhaustion)
- severe (heat stroke)
what is syncope?
feeling faint and lightheaded; early sign of EHI
what are the s/s of syncope?
profuse sweating and feeling faint
what is orthostatic hypotension?
an excessive fall in BP upon standing from a supine position
what causes the drop in BP with orthostatic hypotension?
less blood returning to the heart and brain due to the pooling in the legs and trunk
what are s/s of orthostatic hypotension?
feeling faint, dizzy, or lightheaded upon standing
how do you perform the special test for orthostatic hypotension?
take BP and pulse in the supine position, then have the stand and retake vital signs after two minutes
how do you care for someone in syncope?
stop exercise immediately, sit down and rest, and consume fluids
what is grade two of exertional heat exhaustion?
generalized fatigue during exercise; there’s an inability to continue exercise in hot environment
what are the two distinguishing factors between grade 2 and grade 3 of exertional heat exhaustion?
core temperature, and the mental and neurological status of the individual
true or false: exertional heat stroke is the 4th leading cause of death
false, it’s the 3rd
what body temperature is considered unsafe
greater than 105
what temperatures are considered hypothermia?
<60
what temperature does the body go into coma at?
<79
