Heat and Cold Injuries

First Aid and Treatment Options

Heat related injuries:
Types of heat-related injuries:

Heat cramps. These are painful muscle

cramps, usually in the stomach, arms,
or legs, that may occur during heavy
activity. Heat cramps are the least
serious type of heat-related injury.

It can be dangerous to ignore them,

however, since they are an early
warning sign that the body is having
trouble with heat

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 Heat related injuries:
Types of heat-related injuries:

Heat exhaustion. This is the body's response to losing too much

water and salt in sweat.
It often occurs in people who exercise heavily or work in a hot,
humid place, which makes them sweat a lot. Elderly people and
those with high blood pressure are also prone to heat exhaustion.
As the body overheats, blood flow to the skin increases, which
decreases blood flow to other organs and causes weakness,
confusion, and can cause collapse.
If heat exhaustion is not treated, the person may suffer heat
stroke.

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 Heat related injuries:
Types of heat-related injuries:

Heat stroke. This is the most serious

type of heat-related injury. Heat
stroke, also known as sun stroke,
occurs when the body becomes
unable to cool itself down.
The body's temperature may rise to
41 degrees Celsius or higher within
minutes.
If heat stroke is not treated quickly, it
can lead to brain damage or death. 7
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Management
Heat Cramps

• Heat cramps usually occur during

heavy activity.
• Stop being active and sit quietly in
a cool place and drink water, juice,
or a sports drink.
• To relieve the muscle cramps, firm
pressure is placed on the muscles
or the muscles are massaged
gently.
• It is important for the person not to return to heavy exercise for a few
hours after the cramps go away, because this might lead to heat
exhaustion or heat stroke.

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 Management
Heat Exhaustion
• Medical help should be called immediately if
the symptoms are severe, or if the person
has heart disease or high blood pressure.
• It is important for the person to cool off by
being taken to a shaded area and fanned or,
if possible, moved into an air-conditioned
room.
• It is best for him or her to lie down and
remove heavy clothing.
• Sips of water and applying cool, wet cloths
on
the skin are helpful. 11
 Management
• Heat stroke is a serious medical emergency.
• Medical help should be sought right away. While
waiting for help, the person can be cooled off by
getting out of the sun, being fanned, or being moved
into an air- conditioned room.
• It is important for the person to lie down
and remove clothing.
• Applying cool, wet cloths, or putting the person in a
cool bath or shower will help.
• If the humidity is low, another solution is
to wrap the person in a cool, wet sheet.
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Prevention
• Consume plenty of fluids, regardless of thirst.
• During heavy exercise in hot weather, it is
important to drink at least two to four glasses
of cool fluid each hour.
• Water is always a good drink choice. Very cold
drinks can cause stomach cramps.

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 Cold related injuries:
Causes:
When exposed to cold temperatures,
especially with a high wind chill factor
and high humidity, or to a cool, damp
environment for prolonged periods,
your body's control mechanisms may
fail to keep your body temperature
normal.
When more heat is lost than your body can generate, hypothermia,
defined as an internal body temperature less than 35 °C, can result.
Wet or inadequate clothing, falling into cold water and even not
covering your head during cold weather can increase your chances of
hypothermia.
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 Cold related injuries:
Frostbite:
Frostbite is the freezing of any part of
the body. Ice crystals form within or
between the cells.
Red blood cells and platelets clump
and restrict blood flow, especially to
the ears, fingers, toes and nose.

These areas usually are the first to turn cold, white, hard, and numb.
Frostbite can be deceptive—because it causes numbness, rather than
pain, people may not know it is happening in time to prevent serious
damage.

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 Cold related injuries:
Treatment of Frostbite:
• Small blisters appear right after the rapid thawing. They break
in about a week.
• A black scab forms after the blisters rupture. Normal tissue may
have already formed below.
• The thawed part is usually protected to avoid both refreezing
and excessive heat.
• Usually neither bandages nor dressings are used, and the area
is cleaned with mild soaps.
• Exercises are needed to preserve joint motion in hands and
feet.
• Early surgical removal of the dead tissue may save the part
from amputation.
• Antibiotics are prescribed, if necessary.
 Cold related injuries:
Hypothermia:
• lowering of the body temperature below 35 degrees
Centigrade.
• It results from prolonged exposure to cold when the body
heat loss is greater than heat production.
• Hypothermia can be life-threatening.

Anas Bahnassi PhD CDM CDE

 Cold related injuries:
Symptoms of Hypothermia:

• Shivering
• Slurred speech
• Abnormally slow breathing
• Cold, pale skin
• Loss of coordinationn
• Fatigue, lethargy or apathy
• Confusion or memory loss
• Bright red, cold skin (infants)

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 Cold related injuries:
Treatment of Hypothermia:
Call emergency medical
assistance. While waiting for help
to arrive, monitor the person's
breathing. If breathing stops or
seems dangerously slow or
shallow, begin cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) immediately.
Move the person out of the cold.
Remove wet clothing.
Don't apply direct heat.
Don't give the person alcohol.
Don't massage or rub the person
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