## Triangle Hospitals See Spike in Heat-Related Illnesses## Triangle Hospitals See Spike in Heat-Related Illnesses Duke Health has treated 32 people for acute heat-related illnesses in the past six days. WakeMed has treated 43 patients for emergency heat-related illnesses this month, compared to 31 patients in all of June 2023. UNC Rex’s emergency department has seen “a few people every day” experience heat complications. Symptoms of heat illness: * Fatigue * Nausea * Light-headedness * Increased heart rate * Confusion If you experience these symptoms, you should: * Get out of the heat immediately * Seek shade or air-conditioned areas * Call 911 if symptoms worsen Treatment for heat illness: * Cold water immersion * Fans and nebulizers * Ice packs * Electric cooling blankets * Chilled IV fluids Three stages of heat-related illness: * Heat cramps: Painful muscle spasms * Heat exhaustion: Nausea, vomiting, fatigue, anxiety, pale skin * Heat stroke: Dangerously high body temperature, fever, warm skin, loss of appetite, headache, seizures, coma Anyone who suspects someone is having heat stroke should call 911 immediately.
Duke Health has treated 32 people for acute heat-related illnesses in the past six days.
In the past six days, 32 people have visited Duke Health emergency departments for heat-related concerns.
So far this month, WakeMed has treated 43 patients for emergency heat-related illnesses, compared to 31 patients in all of June 2023.
And Ryan Lamb, medical director of UNC Rex’s emergency department, said his team has seen “a few people every day” experience heat complications.
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This data provided to The News & Observer suggests the toll the temperature has already taken on Triangle residents. And with the heat index reaching triple digits on Wednesday, local healthcare providers say prompt treatment is crucial.
“People can certainly die quickly if a heat-related problem isn’t picked up,” Lamb says. He emphasized that community members should be aware of those they encounter who may be suffering, especially infants and the elderly who cannot easily regulate themselves.
Within the UNC Emergency Department, healthcare providers are working to lower patients’ body temperatures. Ice baths are the most effective tool, Lamb said, but these are not always practical to maintain in hospital settings. Instead, he described using a nebulization protocol to remove heat from bodies. Employees spray patients with nebulizers and ventilate them to evaporate the water.
Another step is to apply ice to the patient’s palms and soles.
Lamb said the symptoms of heat illness, including fatigue or nausea, are no different from the problems emergency room staff treat during the colder months. But the ongoing heat wave provides a big hint about the underlying cause: In February, health care providers might for the first time suspect that emergency room patients were suffering from COVID-19; At the end of June, the almost record heat is at the top of the agenda.
“Heat illness can be fatal if you don’t pay attention to the symptoms and take preventive measures,” says Anjni Joiner, an emergency medicine specialist at Duke Health.
In a social media post last week, Joiner listed symptoms of heat stress — light-headedness, increased heart rate, confusion — and said people who exhibit them should “immediately get out of the heat” and “seek shade or air-conditioned areas have to search’.
If symptoms worsen, including loss of consciousness or increased confusion, Joiner said people should call 911.
JJ Hoff, an emergency medicine specialist at Duke University Hospital, said that for patients with milder symptoms, “simply moving to a cooler environment, removing heavy clothing and avoiding further exertion goes a long way.”
But for those who come to Duke with more intense problems indicative of heat-related illnesses, Hoff said his department is initiating “rapid cooling measures” to allow core body temperatures “to drop to the upper limits of normal in a short period of time.”
Steps Duke providers take to achieve this include cold water immersion, fans and nebulizers, ice packs, electric cooling blankets, and chilled IV fluids.
In a statement to the N&O, WakeMed spokesperson Kristin Kelly described three stages of heat-related illness – and what people should do if they experience them. The mildest form is heat cramps, which can include painful muscle spasms. Kelly recommended that people experiencing these experience rest in a cooler area, remove excess clothing, drink water or electrolyte-rich sports drinks and slowly stretch the affected muscles.
Heat exhaustion is a more serious illness and is caused when the body does not adequately replenish the water and salt it loses through sweating. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, anxiety and pale skin. Treatments for heat exhaustion are similar to best practices for heat cramps: drink water, rest, move to colder areas, and remove all unnecessary clothing.
Finally, there’s heat stroke, which occurs when a person’s internal body temperature reaches “dangerously high levels,” Kelly said. Symptoms include fever, warm skin, loss of appetite, headache, seizures and possibly a coma. Anyone who suspects someone is having heat stroke should call 911, Kelly said, and then take additional steps to keep him or her cool, such as placing ice packs on the armpits and groin area, fanning them and pouring cold water over the skin .
Brian Gordon is the Technology & Innovation reporter for The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. He writes about jobs, startups, and all the big tech stuff transforming the Triangle. Brian previously worked as a senior statewide reporter for the USA Today Network and wrote about education for the Asheville Citizen-Times.
