Facing Killer Heat, ERs Use Body Bags to Save Lives

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It was so hot in the Pacific Northwest last month that doctors were putting patients in body bags filled with ice and water to save their lives.

Thursday, July 22, 2021 -- As a deadly heat wave scorched the Pacific Northwest last month, overwhelming hospital emergency rooms in a region unaccustomed to triple-digit temperatures, doctors resorted to a grim but practical tool to save lives: human body bags filled with ice and water.

“I have a feeling that we’re looking at many more days of extreme heat in the future, and this is likely to become more common,” he said. Patients typically would be treated with strategically placed ice packs or misted with water and placed in front of huge fans. Some emergency room staffers immerse patients in large tubs of water or insert cooling catheters into the body’s large veins.St. John treated nearly two dozen heatstroke patients on June 28, the hottest period of a six-day heat wave, when temperatures in Seattle shot up to a record-breaking 108 degrees.

The treatment involves filling a body bag with a slurry of water and ice, putting the patient inside and zipping the bag just up to the armpits to allow access for medical equipment and close monitoring. The self-contained bag keeps the ice and water close to the patient’s skin.

 

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