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  • Heat stroke is a serious condition that occurs from prolonged exposure to hot temperatures or overexertion during hot weather. Heat stroke has the potential to cause brain damage or death without prompt medical treatment.

    Function

    The treatment for heatstroke centers around lowering your body temperature to normal range.

    Cooling Methods

    Doctors may employ a variety of cooling techniques, such as packing you in ice, spraying you with cold water and then using a fan to evaporate it or packing your groin, back, neck and arm pits with ice packs and then covering you with cooling blankets, explains the Mayo Clinic. If you shiver from the cooling methods, your doctor may administer a drug like benzodiazepine to stop the shaking as it poses a risk for further increasing your body temperature.

    Types of Other Treatments

    During your treatment, your doctor may prescribe cold saline delivered through an IV to help replenish sodium commonly lost during heatstroke. Your doctor may also prescribe additional intravenous solutions to help prevent kidney damage. If your heat stroke was severe, you may need to have kidney dialysis, a procedure where your blood is filtered through a machine to remove toxins, explains the Merck Medical Manual.

    Prognosis

    Even with treatment, approximately 20 percent of patients who suffer a heat stroke have some type of brain damage, reports the Merck Medical Manual. Those that recover fully may have a slight fever for up to a few weeks.

    Prevention

    To avoid heat stroke during hot weather, wear cool, loose-fitting clothing, rest frequently during strenuous work, avoid exercise when possible, drink water and fluids that contain electrolytes and avoid staying in a hot, parked car, suggests the Mayo Clinic.

    Source:

    Mayo Clinic: Heat Stroke

    Merck Medical Manual: Heatstroke

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