{"title":"Heatstroke: The Nurse's Pivotal Role in the Emergency Department.","authors":"Beth Tremblay, Lynn Wiles, Janice E Hawkins","doi":"10.1016/j.jen.2025.08.017","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>With record-setting temperature increases, emergency nurses must rapidly recognize and manage life-threatening heat illnesses such as heatstroke. Reaching the core temperature cooling target of 39 °C (102.2 °F) within 30 minutes of heatstroke recognition is critical and directly affects morbidity and mortality. Sequelae of heatstroke may include neurologic and vital organ damage, particularly in cases of delayed cooling. This article summarizes evidence-based strategies and nursing considerations for heatstroke, including recommendations for total body immersion without the need for specialized equipment. Emergency nurses should work collaboratively to ensure that up-to-date protocols are in place and engage in training to identify and treat individuals with heatstroke rapidly.</p>","PeriodicalId":51082,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Emergency Nursing","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Emergency Nursing","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2025.08.017","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EMERGENCY MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
With record-setting temperature increases, emergency nurses must rapidly recognize and manage life-threatening heat illnesses such as heatstroke. Reaching the core temperature cooling target of 39 °C (102.2 °F) within 30 minutes of heatstroke recognition is critical and directly affects morbidity and mortality. Sequelae of heatstroke may include neurologic and vital organ damage, particularly in cases of delayed cooling. This article summarizes evidence-based strategies and nursing considerations for heatstroke, including recommendations for total body immersion without the need for specialized equipment. Emergency nurses should work collaboratively to ensure that up-to-date protocols are in place and engage in training to identify and treat individuals with heatstroke rapidly.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Emergency Nursing, the official journal of the Emergency Nurses Association (ENA), is committed to the dissemination of high quality, peer-reviewed manuscripts relevant to all areas of emergency nursing practice across the lifespan. Journal content includes clinical topics, integrative or systematic literature reviews, research, and practice improvement initiatives that provide emergency nurses globally with implications for translation of new knowledge into practice.
The Journal also includes focused sections such as case studies, pharmacology/toxicology, injury prevention, trauma, triage, quality and safety, pediatrics and geriatrics.
The Journal aims to mirror the goal of ENA to promote: community, governance and leadership, knowledge, quality and safety, and advocacy.