Hot Topic! Heat Stroke

 As the BBC Weather team report more hot weather on the way The Conversation reports “How heatstroke kills – it can still be deadly after your body cools down”.  The author presents the impacts on the body of heat stroke. So what is the latest evidence on treating heat stroke?

Check these resources for an overview, key points, diagnosis, treatment options, follow-up and more.

[You will need your NHS OpenAthens username to access these resources]

BMJ Best Practice – Heat stroke in adults. It is worth checking the BMJ BP comorbidities feature where you can add your patient's comorbidities for tailored treatment recommendations

Clinical Key (available to UHNM only) – Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke

Oxford Medicine Online – Chapter Clinical Emergencies in Oxford Handbook of Adult Nursing; Chapter Neurologic Complications of Acute Environmental Injuries in Neurologic Complications of Critical Illness

Patient Information

• Heat stroke (BMJ best practice)
• Severe Illness From Getting Too Hot (Heat Stroke): What to Know (Clinical Key)

Selected articles from our journal collection

• Heat stroke: Pathogenesis, diagnosis, and current treatment, Ageing Research Reviews, Zhang, Zhe; Wu, Xiaopeng; Zou, Zheng; Shen, Mingzhi; Liu, Qiong; Zhangsun, Ziyin; Zhao, Huadong; Lei, Wangrui; Wang, Zheng; Dong, Yushu; Yang, Yang, Vol. 100, p. 102409, 2024.
• Exertional Heat Stroke: Are We Cool Enough? Retrospective Observational Study of Patients of Running Events, The Journal of Emergency Medicine, Dollée, Nathalie; Alsma, Jelmer; Goedhart, Rob; Bultstra, Ankie; Haagsma, Juanita A.; Hoek, Amber E., Vol. 71, pp. 44–53, 2025.
• Society of Critical Care Medicine Guidelines for the Treatment of Heat Stroke, Critical Care Medicine, Barletta, Jeffrey F.; Palmieri, Tina L.; Toomey, Shari A.; AlShamsi, Fayez; Stearns, Rebecca L.; Patanwala, Asad E.; Siparsky, Nicole F.; Badjatia, Neeraj; Schultz, Brian; Breighner, Crystal M.; Bruno, Eric; Harrod, Christopher G.; Trevilian, Tanya; Braz de Carvalho, Leandro; Houser, James; Harahus, John M.; Liu, Yang; Swoboda, Ryan; Ruhato Banguti, Paulin; Bailey, Heatherlee, Vol. 53 Issue 2, pp. e490–e500, 2025.
• Management of Heat-Related Illness and Injury in the ICU: A Concise Definitive Review, Critical Care Medicine, Barletta, Jeffrey F.; Palmieri, Tina L.; Toomey, Shari A.; Harrod, Christopher G.; Murthy, Srinivas; Bailey, Heatherlee, Vol. 52 Issue 3, pp. 362–375, 2024.
• Hot weather and heat extremes: health risks, The Lancet, Ebi, Kristie L; Capon, Anthony; Berry, Peter; Broderick, Carolyn; de Dear, Richard; Havenith, George; Honda, Yasushi; Kovats, R Sari; Ma, Wei; Malik, Arunima; Morris, Nathan B; Nybo, Lars; Seneviratne, Sonia I; Vanos, Jennifer; Jay, Ollie, Vol. 398 Issue 10301, pp. 698–708, 2021.
• It's getting hot in here: heat stroke in children and young people for paediatric clinicians, Paediatrics and Child Health, Forsyth, Nathan; Solan, Tom, Vol. 32 Issue 12, pp. 471–475, 2022.

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