Wednesday, August 30, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
5
An unforeseen risk from heatstroke
By Craig F. Eisenbeis
Correspondent
One of my hiking friends
recently contacted me to
share an unusual, and unfore-
seen, injury that occurred
during a hike. Most of us are
aware of, and recognize, the
danger presented by heat-
stroke; but very few people
seem to be aware of another
very serious danger that lurks
in the hot sun. I certainly
wasn’t; and, as it turns out,
first responders who arrived
on scene weren’t aware
either.
As if the dangers directly
presented by heatstroke were
not enough, a Sisters-area
resident learned, firsthand,
that heatstroke comes with
other hazards, as well. In this
case, the incident resulted in
hospital care and subsequent
recovery that far exceeded
what might have normally
been expected under the
circumstances.
Heatstroke is a type of
hyperthermia that typically
poses a possible danger dur-
ing extremely hot weather
and can be exacerbated
by physical exertion, age,
humidity, medications, and
other factors. It occurs when
a person’s body temperature
reaches an unsafe level, gen-
erally considered to be at or
above 104 degrees, and the
body is unable to eliminate
the unusual heat gain.
Symptoms may include
headache and dizziness. If
unrecognized and untreated,
a loss of consciousness may
result. When that happened in
this case, even more serious
injuries resulted.
Although the incident
in question occurred in
Arizona, it can happen any-
where, or anytime, when
body temperature reaches an
unmanageable level; and the
Sisters area has certainly had
its share of hot weather this
summer. In this instance, the
victim did lose consciousness
and took a hard fall to the
ground. As it turned out,
however, that was only the
beginning and was not the
worst of it.
Several people were on
hand to render assistance,
and sheriff’s deputies arrived
on scene fairly quickly to
render assistance. What no
one realized, however –
including the first respond-
ers – was how hot the ground
was. When a person suddenly
loses consciousness and hits
the ground, a common ten-
dency is to avoid moving the
victim until a full assessment
of the incident can be made.
In this case, however, that
turned out to be a big mis-
take; and the people involved
want others to know about it
to help prevent it from hap-
pening to anyone else. What
everyone failed to consider
was the danger posed by the
superheated ground. Not only
did the ground heat aggravate
the person’s overheated con-
dition, but the ground was so
hot that it began to burn into
the victim’s body.
After the victim’s con-
dition was stabilized in the
hospital, the medical staff
counted 32 separate burns
on the victim’s body, many
of them third-degree. As a
result, the recovery period
was extended from hours
or days to months. Multiple
skin grafts were necessary,
and hospital bills soared to
hundreds of thousands of
dollars — all because no one
was aware of the danger pre-
sented by the extremely hot
ground surface that the vic-
tim had fallen onto.
The people involved in
this incident are hopeful that
warning others of this haz-
ard will spare other potential
victims and prevent a simi-
lar occurrence. If the person
had been moved to a shady
area or, even if clothing or
other objects had been placed
under the victim, some of the
serious effects of this incident
could have been prevented.
Of course, prevention of
heatstroke in the first place
is a good starting point; and
recognition of the symptoms
is a key factor. Avoiding
extremely hot conditions
is the first — and, perhaps
best — preventive measure.
Drinking plenty of fluids to
prevent dehydration and tak-
ing opportunities to rest and
cool off are extremely impor-
tant when overheating could
pose a threat. Thirst, itself, is
not necessarily a reliable indi-
cator; and fluids containing
alcohol and caffeine should
be avoided, as they can con-
tribute to dehydration.
Lightweight, light-col-
ored, and loose-fitting cloth-
ing can also go a long way
PHOTO BY CRAIG F. EISENBEIS
Hikers and others engaged in outdoor activities during hot weather need
to be wary of heatstroke and another lesser known dangers posed by the
hot sun.
toward helping keep the body
from overheating. Broad-
brimmed (and light-colored)
hats are also recommended.
Headaches, dizziness, weak-
ness, and mental confusion
are indicators that something
is not right. When symp-
toms are observed, measures
should be immediately taken
to cool off the victim.
Even without the unex-
pected danger of burns,
heatstroke can lead to death;
so one cannot be too care-
ful. Being knowledgeable
about heatstroke symptoms
and safety precautions is the
first step; and keeping alert
for them can go a long way
toward preventing a repeat of
incidents such as this.
G S
F S L
C
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