Temperatures across the Four Corners are expected to reach 104 degrees this weekend, and extreme heat like this is no joke. It can cause serious health issues, even death. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 700 Americans die every year from extreme heat. And that number has been increasing along with warming temperatures. For this week's Health and Prevention Report, KSJD's Lucas Brady Woods was joined by Ed Martinez, a paramedic with Southwest Health System in Cortez. They discuss who's most at risk from the heat and how people can protect themselves from it.
Lucas Brady Woods, KSJD News: Ed, thanks so much for joining us here at KSJD News.
Ed Martinez, Paramedic: You're welcome.
LBW: So it's really hot out there these days. How dangerous can extreme heat like this be for people?
Martinez: Actually it can be very dangerous for people. Especially infants and elderly can be more prone to danger.
LBW: When you do get a call related to the heat, what do those generally look like?
Martinez: What happens is that you start getting a little bit faint. You're cold, have clammy skin. You're very thirsty, you're dry. And people that are around you or yourself, you're not sure exactly what to do. Dizziness and weakness. When you're out there in the heat, that causes a lot of problems.
LBW: How does it get to the point where people need medical care? Do people not recognize the symptoms, and just try to push through it? Or, do they recognize the symptoms, but are just overcome?
Martinez: I think it's both. I think some of these symptoms with the heat come along slowly. As the temperature gets hotter throughout the day, it kind of creeps up on you. But on your point of trying to push through stuff, a lot of vigorous exercise, a lot of vigorous work, labor people out there - it's really hard to just slow down when you're required to be working on very hard job. So it just kind of sneaks up on you and then hits you pretty hard.
LBW: That's interesting. Who is most at risk? I mean, people who work outside. But who are the other types of people that are most at risk from extreme heat?
Martinez: The infants and children are high at risk, because they're unable to communicate that they're hot. So as parents, you've got to be vigilant and stay on top of your children. Make sure they get good fluids, a lot of good fluids, good diet. Our older patients, because they're older and they have problems with heart disease, diabetes, COPD. And they also have limited mobility. So a lot of them don't have air conditioning, they have fans. And again, they don't ever want to ask for help. So yeah, for me, mostly infants, children, and then elderly people with chronic illnesses.
LBW: Do you ever see like big old construction guys passed out from the hate?
Martinez: We do see that. Because again, those are the ones that really are not able to say, "Hey, I'm gonna go sit in the shade for a while." You know, you still need to continue. Somebody needs to be doing that work. So yeah, we do see that occasionally.
LBW: What about your team? How do you guys protect yourselves?
Martinez: Well, luckily we stay hydrated because we know what we're supposed to be looking for. So we stay hydrated. Another big patient population are these firefighters. Those guys are all dressed up in bunker gear on wildland fires. I mean, what are they doing? They're fighting fire in the heat. So yeah, we we get called when they go on fires. We get called just for standby services for them.
LBW: Shifting gears just a little bit, why does extreme heat cause health impacts? Like what exactly does it do to the human body that causes the symptoms?
Martinez: Generally what the body wants to do in that heat environment and when you get vigorous activity, it tries to sweat. The evaporation is how you cool down. The other way is that your body tends to dilate, which leads to heat radiation. So you can cool down with those two things. But what happens is that with people with disease processes or in the heat, high ambient heat, they don't have the ability. The body gets overwhelmed. You increase your body temperature, you stop sweating, and all that stuff and then you progress from heat exhaustion into heat stroke.
LBW: So what is the difference between heatstroke and heat exhaustion?
Martinez: The big difference is at heat exhaustion, somebody's complaining of dizziness, just not feeling right. The biggest compounding factor there is that just some sort of mental incapacity. And then heat stroke, you are unresponsive and your body cannot deal with the excessive heat.
LBW: With that in mind, what do people need to do to prevent health impacts from extreme ambient heat?
Martinez: The biggest thing is the easiest thing. Keep well hydrated. Not just hydrated, but well hydrated, especially in these heat times. You can lose up to one liter of sweat per hour. You know, if somebody's doing vigorous exercise or working outside you really got to keep up on your water. That's a big thing. You can have sports drinks, any flavor any brand that you want. Add those in there. Just don't overdo those. Some of those can even be diluted after you drink one. Dilute another one, continue with water, sports drinks, and try to stay cool as you can. I mean shade, air conditioning, whatever you can, but water is the number one thing.
LBW: If they're experiencing symptoms of heat exhaustion or heatstroke, what should they do?
Martinez: Well, here's there's two different things you can do. The heat exhaustion, which is again, the milder form, you could remove the somebody from the exposure to the heat. Get them out of the sun, get them in the shade, some active cooling. Water intake, if they're alert and oriented. And usually with heat exhaustion, if they can get that water and and get them cool, they can feel better in about 30 minutes. Then they can resume with caution what they were doing. Heat stroke on the other end, we're talking about unresponsive. You need to get them into some air conditioning and maximize that as much as you can. Remove their clothing, put wet towels on them and fan them with air conditioning, fans or even a paper. And then again, on the heat strokes, call 911. EMS can get them IV fluids and transport them to the emergency room.
LBW: If someone isn't experiencing symptoms as severe as heatstroke, where can they go for help?
Martinez: One, there is a walk in clinic by the hospital. And then the Emergency Department is open 24/7. So you can definitely go to the emergency department for care. And again, if you're not sure and can't make that drive or, or whatever, call 911. EMS can actually check you out and decide if you're good to stay home, if you just need to walk in or if you need to go to the emergency room. The ambulance service can help you out a lot with decisions if you're not sure.
LBW: Well, Ed, thank you so much for sharing your perspective on this. It's really important stuff.
Martinez: You're welcome.
Health and Prevention reporting on KSJD is made possible with support from Celebrating Healthy Communities, the Montezuma County Health Department and Southwest Health System.
