ERs Not Overheating, but Physicians Wary of Heat Wave

July 7, 2010— -- As temperatures creep into the triple-digits in northeastern states, emergency departments are anecdotally reporting an uptick in heat-related illness, but nothing serious or catastrophic, physicians say.

Medical centers from Boston to Washington, D.C., report seeing more cases of dizziness, weakness, nausea, and other symptoms of heat exhaustion, as well as worsening of chronic illnesses including asthma and cardio-obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) -- but so far no surge in deadlier conditions such as heat stroke.

"We've definitely had an increase in heat-related processes resulting from heat exhaustion," Dr. N. Stuart Harris, an emergency physician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, told MedPage Today. But he noted that exposure has been limited "because people are pretty clever" in terms of their ability to stay cool.

The majority of medical centers said they don't need to step up the amounts of staff during an expected heat wave, as physicians have specific protocols for dealing with patients with suspected heat-related illness.

But the fact that this wave is occurring after the July 4th weekend may add to the burden at some centers.

Dr. A. Jon Smally of Hartford Hospital in Connecticut said the first day after a long weekend is usually extremely busy, and his facility has already seen a large amount of patients for such a day. He added that on Tuesday there was even a physician working in the waiting room to keep up with demand.

Still, Smally said, the cases have been limited to minor episodes of heat-related illness.

"To get heat stroke is pretty rare," he said, especially among healthy adults. The elderly, on the other hand, are much more susceptible to heat waves, as are those on the other end of the age spectrum -- children.

Aside from age, certain medications carry an increased risk of heat exhaustion, physicians say. Drugs that affect the cardiovascular system and the central nervous system are particularly concerning, said Dr. Ron Walls, chair of emergency medicine at Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston.