Use of an external-cooling device for the treatment of heat stroke

• Published in: Clinical and Experimental Emergency Medicine
• Main Authors: Lee, Byung-Chan, Kim, Jung Youn, Choi, Sung Hyuk, Yoon, Young Hoon
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2014
• Subjects: Case Report; Arctic
• Online Access: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5052824/; https://doi.org/10.15441/ceem.14.004

Heat stroke is caused by losing control of one’s body temperature. It can be life threatening without proper treatment. In this case report, we describe a heat stroke patient treated with an external-cooling device, which is commonly used for therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest. A 67-year-old woman was found unconscious with spontaneous breathing in a sauna. Her body temperature was 40.5°C when she arrived at the emergency department, and she was diagnosed with heat stroke. At seven hours after applying the Arctic Sun Temperature Management System (Medivance), her body temperature declined to 36.5°C, with neurologic improvement (Glasgow Coma Scale score increased from 3 to 12). She was admitted to an intensive care unit and discharged 14 days after admission without any neurological sequelae. In conclusion, an external-cooling device can be used effectively for heat stroke, in addition to therapeutic hypothermia after cardiac arrest.