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Instant cold pack for heat stroke treatment


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  • #1324772
    JC
    BPL Member

    @stompy

    Hey all, I'm planning a PCT thru hike this year and one of the few concerns I have is heat stroke in the desert. I sweat a lot so I will be sure to carry extra water but I'm worried that if I do become hyperthermic I won't be able to cool down quickly. I was thinking of carrying a small ~4 oz instant cold pack so that if I do feel symptoms of heatstroke I can activate it and press it to my neck or forehead. Would this be effective? If so I think it would be worth it just for the peace of mind.
    Thanks.

    #2166248
    Backpack Jack
    BPL Member

    @jumpbackjack

    Locale: Armpit of California

    JC
    I've neve hiked the PCT or much desert hiking, your idea may work, but I think an umbrella might be more useful at keeping the heat down to start with, just a thought.

    #2166249
    Roger Caffin
    BPL Member

    @rcaffin

    Locale: Wollemi & Kosciusko NPs, Europe

    Very doubtful.

    Cold water over the back of the neck is effective, but not getting heatstroke in the first place is far more effective. If that means modifying your walking hours or using an umbrella, fine. Rest in the shade when you need to.

    And yes, I have had heat stress (the milder version) and heat stroke (the more severe version) myself and treated it in others as well, a number of times. It happens.

    Cheers

    #2166251
    Bob Gross
    BPL Member

    @b-g-2-2

    Locale: Silicon Valley

    Many years ago, I was in Army training, and one warm day we were on a 14-mile road march. We each started with two canteens of water. However, the drill instructors warned us not to let the water slosh in the canteens. That extra noise might tip off our position to the enemy (or so they claimed). So, a full canteen was OK, or an empty canteen was OK. Just don't let it slosh halfway down. We got about 12 miles out on the march, and two guys got sick and collapsed. The first guy (who had not been drinking much water) had heat exhaustion, so he was semi-conscious, sweating a lot, and was in poor shape. We had to drag him off to the shade where we splashed water over him, rubbed water onto his back and chest, and let him cool down until he was ready to sip a little water. We later heard that he was OK several hours later and made a complete recovery. Later the second guy went down, and he was in worse shape. His skin was hot and dry, and he was unconscious. He was evacuated, and it was later determined that he had suffered some brain damage from heat stroke.

    So, for the backpacker, you just have to listen to your body. If you are thirsty, then drink more water. Maybe use a pinch of salt with it to help your body hold the water better instead of passing it through. Generally your body will be thirsty before you feel thirst in your mouth.

    If you are inexperienced with hiking in the desert, it would be wise not to travel solo.

    –B.G.–

    #2166270
    HkNewman
    BPL Member

    @hknewman

    Locale: The West is (still) the Best

    Heat stroke occurs when the body has lost the ability to perspire. Therefore you will need to keep water circulating in your body and perhaps take a mid-day shade break. Another thing to consider is perhaps take a few acclimating day hikes, jogs, etc … from San Diego to Yuma AZ., driving with the A/C off.

    Some good news is there's a bit more snow in the Sierra so far …
    http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-1231-snow-measure-20141231-story.html

    Maybr not enough to recharge downstream reservoirs but that's more a farming concern.

    #2166274
    Lori P
    BPL Member

    @lori999

    Locale: Central Valley

    Read about how to treat heat stroke in a wilderness setting – evacuation is what follows attempts to cool the victim.

    I recommend a wilderness first aid class, so you have a better understanding which helps you avoid carrying unnecessary items. If you truly had heat stroke not sure you would have the presence of mind to do much on your own behalf. We had a very fair guy get heat exhaustion on a day hike – we had to stop him and give him water. He insisted he was ok, some of us knew he was on the way to trouble we wouldn't be able to fix.

    #2166356
    Ian
    BPL Member

    @10-7

    JC,

    It'd take a number of those cold packs to be of any benefit. As others mentioned, best to spend your efforts to not get to that point. When I was in Pakistan in the '90s, their military would stop training in the heat of the day.

    I figure if you start walking by 4am, you can have 15 miles under your belt by noon. I don't know about you but I really enjoy night hiking and being on the move when the sun is rising.

    Take the afternoon off somewhere in the shade, and get a few more miles in later that evening and before sunset.

    Drink lots of water and eat a balanced diet. And most important of all, drink electrolyte supplements for no other reason that it drives the resident moderator crazy.

    #2166374
    Bob Gross
    BPL Member

    @b-g-2-2

    Locale: Silicon Valley

    "Read about how to treat heat stroke in a wilderness setting – evacuation is what follows attempts to cool the victim."

    That becomes difficult when the rescuer and the victim are one and the same.

    –B.G.–

    #2166378
    David Thomas
    BPL Member

    @davidinkenai

    Locale: North Woods. Far North.

    4 oz of something that will evaporate – water or alcohol – will do much more good than a cold pack. Heat of vaporization is about 10 ten times the heat of fusion or of endothermic reactions in general.

    Good info posted above by others. In addition:

    I prefer to apply water to a bandana around my neck than to sweat it out. I've done GCNP many times and find external (+ always some internal) water use less exhausting at the end of the day.

    On my two Baja trips, we'd start at first light, siesta between 11 am and 2 pm under shade and then continue.

    You should be peeing AT LEAST an ounce per hour ( not an ounce every hour, but, say, 4 ounces after 4 hours). A rough guideline is clear pee is good. Dark yellow stinky pee is always a sign you should have been drinking more.

    I like a silvered umbrella. 8 ounces, and it feels about 15F cooler underneath. And reduces sunburn. And, during that siesta, you can convert a straggly desert bush into a solid spot of shade by resting the umbrella on the bush. You can make even more shade with a jacket or tarp draped over a bush (although natural shade will have cooler soil under it).

    #2166381
    Bob Gross
    BPL Member

    @b-g-2-2

    Locale: Silicon Valley

    We were hiking Mount Whitney one time about 1980. It had been cool on the summit, but then it warmed up a lot on the descent. One guy with us was a strong runner, but not terribly experienced as a hiker. By the time we got down to 10,300 feet, his thirst caught up with him, and he was not walking a straight line. I was right behind him and I saw him weaving like a drunk. I started asking him questions about how he felt, and I was not getting clear answers. So, he was into the intermediate stages of heat exhaustion. The high altitude didn't help him. There was a cold mountain stream right there, so we sat him down, pulled his shirt off him, and started rubbing cold water onto his front and back. Then we had him drink a pint of water, take one aspirin, and eat half of a candy bar. That was just to make sure that headaches and low blood sugar weren't the culprits. After a bit of that, he was starting to chill, so he got his shirt back on to continue. I suggested that he slowed his pace down slightly and drink more water. NO! That would be too simple. Instead, he sped up his pace downhill. It kind of made me guess that his mind had been affected.

    That is one problem with some of these environmental medical problems. The victim has lost his good judgment as the first symptom.

    –B.G.–

    #2166392
    Alexander S
    BPL Member

    @cascadicus

    If you really need to cool down quickly and there's no lake in sight, put the cool pack on your neck, in the arm pits or groin where your large arteries are located close to the surface and more cooling effect will be carried by the blood through the body.

    #2166415
    JC
    BPL Member

    @stompy

    Thanks for the advice everyone, I think I will carry an umbrella.

    #2166433
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    "Cold water over the back of the neck is effective, but not getting heatstroke in the first place is far more effective."

    A resounding +1 to that.

    #2166887
    Dan Magdoff
    BPL Member

    @highsierraguy

    Locale: Northern California

    I think most have already said this, but ill chime in. There are many different levels of medical issues relayed to hyperthermia. heat stroke is on the extreme end of that. I believe your concern is more related to heat exhaustion (the two are often mixed up)….heat exhaustion being the less serious of the two.

    But for a long story short…if your paying attention to your body and what its telling you, I don't think you'll have a problem. Keep covered and drink lots of water….stay hydrated, stay hydrated, stay hydrated.

    If for the reason you were to feel like the heat is getting to you (most likely heat exhaustion), take a break in a small shady area, hydrate and cool off before you continue.

    if your going to carry a few extra ounces, consider Oral Rehydration Salts to add to a L of water.

    In a serious hyperthermic situation, such as heat stroke, one small ice pack will do nothing for you…..not worth the effort or the weight.

    be smart, hike smart and avoid any issues all together.

    #2166931
    Don Morris
    Member

    @hikermor

    Get your miles in early – start at first light and utilize those golden hours. Take it easy at midday.

    #2174765
    Gary From CA
    Spectator

    @powderhound

    I drink a lot of water and have dehydration issues as well, having suffered from both heat exhaustion and heat stroke. Something I realized is that I was having issues with hyponatremia, which mimics dehydration and causes both heat exhaustion and heat stroke. I started carrying and taking Salt Sticks (electrolyte capsules made for marathon runners), and haven't had an issue since. I find myself drinking less water too.

    I agree with other posters that an ice pack, or even several, is not a good approach. Evaporative cooling from being wet is far more effective at cooling down your core, even though an ice pack might feel nice on the forehead. Water has a very high specific heat, and since your body is mostly water, this means you need to transfer a lot of thermal energy out of your body very quickly. Being wet from water or sweat really is the best option.

    Getting heat stroke by yourself in the wilderness really could kill you. Be prepared with water, electrolytes, shade (light-color long sleeves and a good hat with a full brim or cape in the back), and avoid hiking in the heat of the day in the hotter parts.

    #2174810
    Jeremy and Angela
    BPL Member

    @requiem

    Locale: Northern California

    Applying ice to the neck/groin/armpits may seem tempting due to the proximity of the arteries, but what you really need is to maximize the heat transfer interface (just like how your car radiator works).

    That appears better done by sucking heat from the face, palms of hands, and soles of feet. The slides below show the difference in cooling rates compared to the control and "neck/groin/armpits" subjects. (There's not a great deal of published data on this topic, unfortunately.)

    http://www.naemsp.org/Documents/2014%20Annual%20Meeting%20Handouts/ORAL%2010%20A%20Randomized%20Controlled%20Trial.pdf

    This is not intended as a replacement for other cooling methods, but is worth keeping in mind if ice/cold packs are all you have!

    -J

    #2174812
    Valerie E
    Spectator

    @wildtowner

    Locale: Grand Canyon State

    Excellent link, Jeremy & Angela; thank you! Must file this concept away for future reference (cool face, hands, feet)…

    #2188837
    Terry Sparks
    Spectator

    @firebug

    Locale: Santa Barbara County Coast

    As a fire fighter in So. California we would wet a bandana placed on out head then put on our helmet during brush/wildland fires. I took this idea one step further and started using a Sham Wow in place of the bandana. This was a big leap forward as it kept me cooler, as the drying time of the Sham Wow lasted an hour or more. I used this technique by putting one under my hat in last year's PCT thru hike. This kept me walking in the 100*+ heat when most others were parked for the afternoon. If you can't find a Sham Wow, Wallmart has a camp towel that is similar and sells for $2-$3.

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