Pittala Karthik, Willing Tyler F, Worrilow Charles C, Palilonis Matthew M
Department of Emergency and Hospital Medicine, Lehigh Valley Health Network/University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, Allentown, USA.
Cureus. 2023 Aug 24;15(8):e44045. doi: 10.7759/cureus.44045. eCollection 2023 Aug.
Heat stroke can lead to severe complications such as end-organ damage and death. The primary treatment modality for heat stroke is rapid cold-water immersion to lower the patient's body temperature. This typically requires a large bath to place the patient in, which may not be available in small or community emergency departments. Although rarely present in the literature, a body bag for cold-water immersion can be used if a bath is not available. Here, we present a case of a 63-year-old male who presented to the emergency department unresponsive with hyperthermia after a heat wave warning was issued. After a thorough workup and imaging, the patient was given IV saline and naloxone, which did not improve his condition. Therefore, the patient was placed in a body bag filled with cold water and ice until his body temperature reduced to 100°F, after which he was removed and closely monitored. The patient was safely discharged and only required repeat lab work three days after discharge. This case highlights a unique technique that emergency physicians can utilize in scenarios where a typical cold-water immersion setup and execution are not possible.
中暑可导致严重并发症，如终末器官损伤和死亡。中暑的主要治疗方式是迅速进行冷水浸泡以降低患者体温。这通常需要一个大浴盆来安置患者，而小型或社区急诊科可能没有。虽然文献中很少提及，但如果没有浴盆，可使用用于冷水浸泡的尸袋。在此，我们报告一例63岁男性病例，在发布热浪预警后，该患者被送往急诊科，体温过高且无反应。经过全面检查和影像学检查后，患者接受了静脉注射生理盐水和纳洛酮治疗，但病情并未改善。因此，将患者放入装满冷水和冰块的尸袋中，直到其体温降至100°F，之后将其取出并密切监测。患者安全出院，出院三天后仅需复查实验室检查。该病例突出了一种独特的技术，在无法进行典型的冷水浸泡设置和操作的情况下，急诊医生可以采用。
