Paeds Cases · acute-care-resuscitation-and-toxicology
Exertional heat stroke — OSCE
OSCE on the recognition and rapid cooling of exertional heat stroke in a young athlete, testing the heat-stroke definition, the cool-first-transport-second principle with cold-water immersion to a core below thirty-nine degrees within thirty minutes, the avoidance of antipyretics and dantrolene, and the multi-organ disposition.
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A 15-year-old cross-country runner is carried into the emergency department after collapsing five kilometres into a race on a 39-degree summer afternoon. His rectal temperature is 41.5 degrees Celsius. He is confused and combative. His skin is hot and sweating profusely, his pulse is 140 beats per minute, his blood pressure is 104/60, and his capillary glucose is 6.2 mmol per litre. Cold-water immersion is available in the department. You are the registrar leading the resuscitation, with a skilled nurse and a junior doctor present. Recognise the diagnosis, lead the immediate cooling, state the drugs you would not give and why, and arrange the disposition. Name the source for each threshold and dose. [1] [3]
References4ShowHide
- [1]Bouchama A Heat stroke. N Engl J Med, 2002.PMID 12075060
- [2]Leon LR Heat stroke. Compr Physiol, 2015.PMID 25880507
- [3]Casa DJ National Athletic Trainers' Association Position Statement: Exertional Heat Illnesses. J Athl Train, 2015.PMID 26381473
- [4]Gauer RL Heat-Related Illnesses. Am Fam Physician, 2026.PMID 42101601