Abstract
Purpose: To identify the incidence of infection at the time of ED/ICU admission in patients with classical heat stroke. Methods: Retrospective chart review was completed on 45 patients with classical heat stroke. Patients were included if they were admitted to ICUs between the dates of July 12-20, 1995 with mental status alteration, anhidrosis, and rectal temperature of 40.6 C. or substantial environmental evidence of excessive heat where the patient was found. "Infection" was defined as positive blood culture, positive urine culture and/or urinalysis with pyuria and bactiuria, positive sputum culture with concurrent xray evidence of pneumonia, positive stool culture, or substantial physical or imaging evidence for skin or closed space infection. Infection had to be identified on studies obtained within the first 24 hours of ED/ICU admission. Results: 35 sites of infection were identified at the time of presentation in 28 of the 45 patients (62%). The types and frequencies are as follows: Bacteremia (14), Urinary tract infection (11), Pneumonia (4), Cellulitis/Decubiti (3), Sinusitis (2), Enterocolitis (1). Conclusions: Infection is present at the time of ED/ICU admission in a significant number of patients presenting with classical heat stroke. Clinical Implications: A variety of host factors that predispose to infection may also predispose to heat stroke. However, immune responses may be altered in heat stroke to allow for increased occurrence of infection, especially bacteremia and urinary tract infection, in these patients.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 131S |
Journal | CHEST |
Volume | 110 |
Issue number | 4 SUPPL. |
State | Published - Oct 1996 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
- Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine