New Orleans ER doctor shares advice to beat the heat

NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — In New Orleans, coping with extreme heat is standard operating procedure for emergency room doctors such as Jeffrey Elder, who has been seeing patients at University Medical Center for more than two decades.

“We’ll see people just have some mild heat exhaustion maybe they’re just outside for too long, they’ll have some muscle cramps, they’ll just be over-exerted, they’ll come in they’ll typically be hydrated, and they’ll do fine. We’ll also occasionally see really critically ill patients with heat stroke,” says Elder.

Knowing the signs of heat stroke can save someone’s life.

“And so the difference there is you go from someone who is hot and outdoors and their body is compensating, to somebody who crosses a threshold where their body can’t compensate any more for the heat,” says Elder.

Plus, when you add heat to the humidity that creates a high heat index that Elder says can be dangerous, even deadly, especially for people whose immune systems are already vulnerable.

“Those that are outside both working in the heat and we really worry about the extremes of age so the very young and the very old who are out and about in the heat, whose bodies really can’t regulate and compensate like a middle-aged adult could,” says Elder.

His advice: Wear light, loose-fitting clothing, stay hydrated, with water and electrolyte drinks, and stay out of the sun during the hottest time of the day, especially between noon and 3:00 p.m. He says 3:00 p.m. is the most critical hour to avoid.

Elder says the danger signs of heat-related illness include sweating, feeling nauseous, cramping and simply feeling mentally unwell.

If symptoms get worse with someone you’re with, Elder says it’s time to take action.

“They could be unresponsive, or they could just not be acting right. And if they’re just a little bit off or not acting right to you, that’s a true medical emergency, you need to call 911 get EMS coming to you but more importantly, you need to get that person out of the heat immediately,” says Elder.

While you wait for help to arrive, ice baths and cold water can help with the cool down process.

One final tip: if you have elderly friends, neighbors or loved ones, it’s a good idea to check on them during these extremely hot days.

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