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Phoenix using ice immersion to treat heatstroke victims as Southwest bakes with highs well over 100
https://apnews.com/article/southwest-heat-wave-58e5c7079a46c6158646d42cb5355bb2Phoenix using ice immersion to treat heatstroke victims as Southwest bakes with highs well over 100
BY ANITA SNOW
Updated 10:53 PM EDT, June 5, 2024
PHOENIX (AP) — The season’s first heat wave is already baking the Southwest with triple-digit temperatures as firefighters in Phoenix — America’s hottest big city — employ new tactics in hopes of saving more lives in a county that saw 645 heat-related deaths last year.
Starting this season, the Phoenix Fire Department is immersing heatstroke victims in ice on the way to area hospitals. The medical technique, known as cold-water immersion, is familiar to marathon runners and military service members and has also recently been adopted by Phoenix hospitals as a go-to protocol, Fire Capt. John Prato said.
Emergency crews may be using the technique sooner than expected as oppressive heat has arrived earlier than usual across much of the region. The mercury reached 108 F (42.2 C) on Wednesday in Phoenix and Las Vegas, and record highs topping 110 F (43.3 C) are forecast in both cities on Thursday.
Prato demonstrated the potentially lifesaving method earlier this week outside the emergency department of Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix, packing ice cubes inside an impermeable blue bag around a medical dummy representing a patient. He said the technique could dramatically lower body temperature in minutes.
[...]
BY ANITA SNOW
Updated 10:53 PM EDT, June 5, 2024
PHOENIX (AP) — The season’s first heat wave is already baking the Southwest with triple-digit temperatures as firefighters in Phoenix — America’s hottest big city — employ new tactics in hopes of saving more lives in a county that saw 645 heat-related deaths last year.
Starting this season, the Phoenix Fire Department is immersing heatstroke victims in ice on the way to area hospitals. The medical technique, known as cold-water immersion, is familiar to marathon runners and military service members and has also recently been adopted by Phoenix hospitals as a go-to protocol, Fire Capt. John Prato said.
Emergency crews may be using the technique sooner than expected as oppressive heat has arrived earlier than usual across much of the region. The mercury reached 108 F (42.2 C) on Wednesday in Phoenix and Las Vegas, and record highs topping 110 F (43.3 C) are forecast in both cities on Thursday.
Prato demonstrated the potentially lifesaving method earlier this week outside the emergency department of Valleywise Health Medical Center in Phoenix, packing ice cubes inside an impermeable blue bag around a medical dummy representing a patient. He said the technique could dramatically lower body temperature in minutes.
[...]
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