Rapid Cool: Heat Stroke Treatment

Hot climates such as in Phoenix, AZ commonly have individuals experiencing heat stroke, a life-threatening medical emergency. The dangerously high body temperature can result in death if not treated immediately with rapid body cooling. Rapid core temperature reduction within 30 min of diagnosis results in 100% survival and positive outcomes. While this is easily achieved with whole-body cold water immersion, this modality is not feasible in an ambulance.

The Phoenix emergency medical services protocol consists of lying the patient on a large volume of ice. While this is somewhat effective, this cooling strategy results in a sub-optimal cooling rate, difficulty obtaining this large volume of ice, and a very wet ambulance as the ice melts. Recently, a company created a cooling strategy that utilizes a small amount of ice and a small amount of recirculated water to keep the patient cool. The purpose of this study is to determine the core temperature cooling rate of this cooling strategy and compare it to the cooling rate of the currently used Phoenix protocol.