Treat a heat stroke victim

Heat stroke as documented is one of the serious heat related illness. Victim to this ailment are numerous and unbounded by their prismatic characteristics. The patient may become restless and confused and sometimes this may lead to serious damages such as even convolutions may also occur. Extremes of heat or cold, if prolonged, can lead to serious metabolic disturbances such as improper functioning of sweat glands and also electrolytic disturbances such as loss of Na+ ions from the body. Thus these disturbances may or may not lead to several complications related to the heat related ailments. To treat a heat stroke victim several steps are to be taken. Firstly, the person should be cooled. In other words, the body temperature of the particular individual should be brought down.

No attempt should be made to heat or cool the patient rapidly, since this can cause the blood vessels to dilate. Fluid is then lost from the general circulation. It is best to wrap the patient in warm blanket (incase of hypothermia) or with the cooling blankets (incase of hyperthermia). In hypothermia, the treatment is carried out by giving intravenously certain glucose like dextrose, thus replenishing the lost glucose and providing with energy. In hyperthermia, effective cooling is essential. This is done usually by spraying the exposed body with cold water or by using fans to promote active air movement across the patient. Thus this helps in the emergency care of the patient. Intravenous saline fluids may be given to replace salt loss from perspiration.