Body Cooling and the Treatment of Heat Stroke

Abstract

Uncontrolled hyperpyrexia, resulting from an imbalance between excessive heat gain and the inability of the thermoregulatory system to provide an equivalent rate of heat loss from the body, is a serious heat disorder which carries a high mortality.¹ Rapid cooling of the core is of utmost priority in treating heat stroke cases. Customarily, emergency treatment involves sponging the patient with cold water, sometimes ice-cold, and exposing the body surface to rapid movement of cool air. A useful degree of cooling, often life-saving, can be obtained by simply plunging the patient into a bath of cold water or applying ice packs.