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Updated: Jul 15, 2026
06:43
Esophageal Heat Transfer for Patient Temperature Control and Targeted Temperature Management
Published on: November 21, 2017
Cooling and hemodynamic management in heatstroke: practical recommendations.
Abderrezak Bouchama1, Mohammed Dehbi, Enrique Chaves-Carballo
1Department of Comparative Medicine MBC-03, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Centre, P,O, Box 3354, Riyadh 11211, Saudi Arabia. abouchama@kfshrc.edu.sa
Critical Care (London, England)
|May 15, 2007
Summary
Optimal heatstroke treatment remains unclear. Iced water immersion is effective for exertional heatstroke in young individuals, but evidence for classic heatstroke cooling and hemodynamic management is limited.
Area of Science:
- Emergency Medicine
- Environmental Health
- Critical Care Medicine
Background:
- Rapid cooling and circulatory support are vital for heatstroke survival.
- Optimal treatment strategies for heatstroke are not well-established.
- Evidence for specific cooling methods and hemodynamic management is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review clinical studies on heatstroke treatment.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of different cooling methods.
- To assess hemodynamic management strategies for heatstroke patients.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of Medline, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases (1966-2006).
- Included studies on heatstroke, sunstroke, and heat stress disorders.
- Analyzed data from 4 clinical trials and 15 observational studies (556 patients).
Main Results:
- Iced water immersion (conduction cooling) showed effectiveness in exertional heatstroke.
- No cooling method superiority was found for classic heatstroke.
- Circulatory issues primarily involved distributive shock; myocardial failure was rare.
Conclusions:
- Reliable clinical data on optimal heatstroke treatment is insufficient.
- Findings provide a framework for preliminary cooling and hemodynamic management recommendations.
- Further evidence-based research is needed for definitive heatstroke treatment guidelines.
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