Life-saving ice bath
A Kentucky high school football coach was arraigned last month on charges of reckless homicide after a player under his supervision collapsed and died on a hot day last August.
Now a review published this week in the Journal of Athletic Training provides needed information on the best way to treat athletes, or anyone working in extreme heat, who suffer heat-related illnesses. The study, an analysis of other research on the condition, concludes that people who are clearly suffering from exercise-induced hyperthermia should be immersed in ice water or cold water as quickly as possible, even before being taken to a hospital.
If a place to immerse the person, such as an ice tub, kiddie pool or swimming pool, is not available, try to have a large cooler with ice, water and towels on hand. Cold, wet towels should be placed all over the person’s body and changed every two to three minutes. The study found that placing wet towels or ice bags on certain parts of the body are not nearly as effective. “The athlete should be treated first and transported second,” the study’s lead author, Brendon McDermott of the University of Connecticut, said in an interview. “The cells are being cooked, and the outcome depends on how long the temperature is elevated.”
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