PHOENIX — This unrelenting, deadly extreme heat in Arizona is sending more people into Valley hospitals.
Dr. Kara Geren, an emergency room physician at Valleywise Health in Phoenix, tells ABC15 in her 13 years of working there, she feels this summer has been particularly brutal.
"We see it every summer, (but) it seems to be much worse this summer," she says, noting the number of people coming into the emergency room has increased for heat-related illnesses.
Geren said more people have come in the last few weeks when temperatures ramped up.
A majority of the people they see are those who are experiencing homelessness.
However, the emergency room gets a wide gamut of people with different conditions including burn injuries from pavements heating up.
“Some people can be dehydrated where they’re thirsty. Some people get to the point where they’re no longer sweating,” Geren continued. “A lot of people are very lightheaded, dizzy, cramps, feeling very poorly and some people even had temperatures. We’ve even had someone up to 110 degrees, which is not, which is oftentimes very fatal or certainly life-changing.”
A person’s regular body temperature should range from 97-99 degrees Fahrenheit.
So, what do they do? It depends on the severity of their condition.
Geren says they first will hydrate the patient. If they can't drink water, which at a point in heat-related illnesses, people will start vomiting and can't keep fluids down, they will then give the person IV fluids.
“Oftentimes their kidneys aren’t working very well so we have to make sure that improves. If they’re to the point where they can tolerate fluids and are looking better, sometimes they can be discharged. But oftentimes people have to be admitted for IV fluids,” said Geren.
People with underlying medical conditions can get sicker when they’re dehydrated, too. Geren says those people may need more aggressive treatment.
Another method the hospital uses to help treat overheating is to use an ice bath. The hospital has a raft-like device that also drains. They put 10 gallons of ice in there and put the patient inside.
Doctors will then bring their body temperature down but just slightly above the normal temperature.
“We use it on a daily basis... a daily basis. They’re one-time use, but we use it all the time,” said Geren.
Some people who need help also cool down while in transport to the hospital in an ambulance. First responders transporting them such as fire and EMS crews also may have cold compresses that can help with the cooling process.
“When EMS arrives, sometimes people can be unresponsive and the cooling they’re able to do and the dramatic changes they’re able to make on the way to the hospital makes the patient alert and oriented enough that they may not need an ice bath,” she said.
As the 110-degree-and-higher temperatures continue for the foreseeable future, Geren is calling for a need for more cooling stations and mental health, drug, and alcohol treatment needs, saying more of these resources can help with some underlying issues with the heat.
She’s also urging people to be safe in this dangerous heat as they expect more people to come in needing help.
“It’s on top of every other medical emergency that is accruing as well. So stay hydrated and stay inside if you can,” she added.
