How local hospitals treat heat stroke before it’s too late

As temperatures in the Las Vegas Valley reached 110 degrees on a recent Wednesday afternoon, an elderly woman who had been outside grew dizzy and collapsed. The 78‑year‑old’s body temperature measured roughly 105 degrees when she arrived at MountainView Hospital in northwest Las Vegas, according to Dr. Clarence Dunagan. That reading far exceeds the typical range of 96.4 to 98.5 degrees for adults 65 and older, the Cleveland Clinic notes. The woman also presented confused, unable to answer basic questions or think clearly, Dunagan said. “Altered mental status, that’s when it’s a race against the clock,” he added, noting that heat stroke can rapidly damage the brain and other organs if left untreated. Every summer, hospitals throughout Clark County treat patients from all walks of life whose bodies can no longer endure extreme heat. Some fall ill after laboring outdoors for hours at construction sites or in their own backyards, local physicians say. Others are older adults who become dehydrated at home without air‑conditioning or after their units fail. Southern Nevada emergency departments also see tourists and newcomers unaccustomed to the desert climate, children playing outside, well‑conditioned athletes who push themselves too hard, and people experiencing homelessness who spend hours in the heat with little access to shade, water or cooling. As of July 19, Clark County emergency departments had treated more than 1,800 individuals for heat‑related illnesses since March, according to data from the Southern Nevada Health District. So far this year, at least 46 heat‑related deaths have occurred in the county, the Clark County coroner’s office reports. Last year, the region recorded about 270 such deaths, the same office said. Although each facility aims to lower a dangerously high body temperature before permanent harm sets in, their methods differ. At MountainView Hospital, staff rushed the woman into one of two max‑cooling rooms. Nurses removed excess clothing, packed ice around her body, soaked her with wet towels and activated a wall unit that blew cold air through overhead vents. Within minutes, the ambient temperature fell to about 60 degrees. The combination of cold air, wet towels and ice cooled the patient via evaporation, a technique Dunagan said safely reduces body temperature in heat‑stroke cases and other heat‑related ailments. MountainView converted two emergency‑department rooms into specialized cooling rooms several years ago after physicians sought a faster, more reliable way to treat severe heat illness. Before the conversion, workers relied on portable fans, wet towels and ice packs, Dunagan noted. Installing a dedicated HVAC system now allows staff to chill an entire area with the flip of a switch, eliminating the scramble for equipment when every minute counts, he said. University Medical Center takes a somewhat different tack. Dr. Ketan Patel, medical director of UMC’s adult emergency department, said physicians often employ ice‑water bath immersion for patients with severe heat stroke because it rapidly lowers core temperature. Depending on the patient’s condition, staff may also administer IV fluids and mist the skin with water while using fans to speed evaporative cooling, all while addressing other life‑threatening complications. UMC additionally treats patients whose heat‑related injuries extend beyond heat illness alone. Rabia Nizamani, medical director of the UMC Lions Burn Care Center, explained that pavement burns frequently occur after a person collapses or becomes too weak to rise. Unlike someone who instinctively pulls away from a hot stove or curling iron, a patient lying on sun‑baked asphalt can remain in contact with the surface for several minutes while unconscious, disoriented or unable to stand, Nizamani said. During summer, pavement temperatures in Southern Nevada can surpass 160 degrees, she added. That prolonged exposure often produces severe third‑ and fourth‑degree burns that destroy skin, fat and, in the worst cases, underlying muscle and tissue. Many patients require surgery, skin grafts and extended hospital stays before recovery. At Dignity Health‑St. Rose Dominican Hospital Siena Campus in Henderson, emergency physicians follow a similar approach but adjust care as needed. Patients suspected of heat stroke or other serious heat‑related illness are taken immediately to a trauma bay, where staff begin progressive cooling with ice packs placed under the arms and around the groin, wet the skin and use fans to accelerate evaporation. “Ice‑water immersion is the best,” said Dr. Ashkan Morim, assistant medical director of the Henderson hospital’s emergency department. Morim added that every minute a patient’s temperature stays above about 104 degrees raises the risk of permanent injury. Confusion and a temperature above 104 degrees are warning signs that a patient has heat stroke, Morim said. Physicians at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center—which, like MountainView, is owned by H