Heatwave: TN sees surge in heat-related emergencies
The emergency staff at the 108 GVK EMRI ambulance service provider are seeing a majority of cases of fainting and patients becoming unconscious.
Representative image - Climate Crisis
CHENNAI: As the mercury levels are increasing, the instances of heat stroke and heat exhaustion have been on a surge across the State.
The emergency staff at the 108 GVK EMRI ambulance service provider are seeing a majority of cases of fainting and patients becoming unconscious.
In March, there were a total of 4,598 cases of fainting and 4,183 cases of patients becoming unconscious.
While these numbers include fainting and unconsciousness due to several reasons, the majority of these cases are due to heat related issues.
Moreover, the emergency staff have also come across other issues such as accidents, falls and injuries due to fainting or falling unconscious.
"Diabetic patients should be very careful when going out as they can easily suffer from heat exhaustion and can have a low blood sugar. Heat exhaustion, fainting and unconsciousness are very common in these months. There can be an electrolyte imbalance and we give ORS immediately to restore that. We have triple the stock than usual and even oral glucose is given. The stock of IV is also kept ready to attend to emergency cases. In order to attend heat stroke cases, we are keeping ice packs ready so that the temperature can be lowered immediately," said Dr Keerthivarman, EMLC head at 108 training center GVK EMRI.
The cases of heat stroke and heat exhaustion are very common and emergency help is sought in case of fainting or unconsciousness due to going out in sun or working outside.
"We had an elderly who suffered from a head injury because he fainted and hit his head on the ground. It was difficult to manage. While he must have fainted due to the heat, the head injuries can be serious. People should be careful when going out," said a staff from the 108 ambulance service.
Doctors say that hydration is the key to prevent such complications. "The time window of 11 am to 3 pm should be avoided when going out. The children below the age group of 12 years should especially not go out during these times. The elderly people should also follow the same," said Dr Keerthivarman.
The intake of fruits and vegetables with good water content should be consumed. High proteins, oily and spicy food should be avoided as they are difficult for the guy to digest.