MADRID, Spain — As dangerously high temperatures sweep across parts of the United States and southern Europe this week, emergency workers are racing to mitigate the public health risk of heatstroke.
Spanish rescuers took Agence France-Presse through the warning signs and best responses to the potentially fatal condition, as a heatwave grips Spain, Portugal, France and the Balkans.
Scientists warn that periods of extreme heat will become longer, more frequent and more intense as human-induced climate change accelerates.
Symptoms
In a large room at Madrid’s Isabel Zendal hospital, emergency medical staff adjusted their headphones and fixed their gaze on their computer screens.
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They receive 3,500 calls every day, some caused by falls, fainting and other dangers linked to overheating.
But identifying heatstroke straight away is “difficult”, said Gemma Rodriguez, a team leader at the SUMMA 112 emergency service.
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The symptoms can “point to another condition, for example, an unconscious person, a person who has fallen over… or has trauma, and the primary cause could have been heatstroke,” she told AFP.
To diagnose the condition, doctors typically examine whether the patient has a body temperature of over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit); whether their skin is hot and dry; or whether they are sweating heavily, nauseous or vomiting, she added.
In extreme cases, heatstroke can cause incoherent speech and loss of consciousness, and can even prove fatal if left untreated.
Rodriguez said vulnerable groups like children, the elderly and people with chronic illnesses should pay particular attention to the warning signs.
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She recalled the case of an elderly couple with Alzheimer’s disease who spent several hours in the sun in the countryside in early June.
The man tumbled into a ditch and the woman fainted, but they are now out of danger thanks to the intervention of SUMMA 112, she told AFP.
Treatment
When someone has heatstroke, the priority is to bring down their body temperature, for example by moving them into the shade or an air-conditioned room — anything to shield them from the sun, Rodriguez explained.
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“Another method is to use compresses, cool them with serums, or (apply) water and ice” to the armpits, forehead, neck, genital area and stomach, she said.
“In the most extreme and serious cases,” Rodriguez added, patients may need to be given therapeutic serums intravenously.
Prevention
To avoid heatstroke, people should avoid sun exposure during the hottest hours of the day, generally from midday to 4 pm, Rodriguez said.
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The advice is particularly relevant to sports enthusiasts and people who work outdoors, like street sweepers and labourers, she added as she unfolded a survival blanket designed to keep patients cool.
It is also important to stay hydrated, wear light clothing and caps, and stay in the shade or air-conditioned spaces, Rodriguez told AFP.
For active types unable to resist a workout, she had a simple message: “avoid those (hot) hours or do it in an air-conditioned room.”
