Cooling modality effectiveness and mortality associated with pre-hospital care of exertional heat stroke casualties

Cold water immersion is the gold standard for field treatment of an exertional heat stroke (EHS) casualty. Practical limitations may preclude this method and ice sheets (bed linens soaked in ice water) have emerged as a viable alternative. Laboratory studies suggest that this is an inferior method, however the magnitude of hyperthermia is limited and may under-estimate the cooling rate in EHS casualties.
Source: The Journal of Emergency Medicine - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: Selected Topics: Prehospital Care Source Type: research