Relative in ICU with heat stroke and is not going to make it

[SmokeyMountainRain]

Posting for traffic. Has anybody been through this? Close relative, relatively young 50s), was found incoherent last Wednesday. Rushed to hospital straight to ICU as she'd fallen into a coma. They've kept her asleep, tried to wake her twice and she cannot breath on her own whatsoever. They've ran repeated scans which show due to the heat stroke damage the part of her brain that tells her to breath is severely damaged. They've pretty much said she's incompatible with life now and we will have to turn the machines off this week unless by some miracle she wakes up. Her core temp was 41 degrees for 4 days, she's now at 40. Not responded to any medication, antibiotics etc.

She wasn't even doing anything strenuous. Just in her flat watching telly. Has anyone been through this? Does anyone have any advice? I don't even know what to think and feel it just seems so so cruel. No brain bleeds or blockages on the scan. Substantial brain swelling and damage.

posting for traffic as can't see any similar threads

Any advice or miracle stories please send them my way. Thank you x

I'm pretty sure OP meant it's cruel of the universe that this terrible thing has happened to her fairly young relative, not that it would be cruel to turn off life support...

This is awful on so many counts - undiagnosed COPD at a young age, the circumstances, heat stroke. I have a lung condition myself and am in my mid 40s, my home has been really hot e.g 36+ inside, so it really hits me. I'm so sorry OP.

And this is relevant to her medical condition because…?

I'm sorry you had such an awful experience. We do get a higher rate of deaths as we get the sickest of patients, but many people do survive and go on to recover to full health. ICU tends to only accept patients that have a chance of recovery. Others go to the wards on end of life pathways.
I love my job but I couldn't do it mentally if everyone died!

I agree with you here.

It sounds like the relative developed non-exertional heatstroke, potentially as a complication of her COPD.

See this link for a more detailed explanation: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heat-stroke/symptoms-causes/syc-20353581

I'm surprised they weren't able to cool her core temp for 4 days though as they have those surgical cooling blankets they use to bring temperatures down in a controlled way. Did they give a reason why they couldn't cool her?

So the building she was in at the time has absolutely nothing to do with it. Cool I will pop over to the threads about schools closing or not and let them know the schools arent responsible if the kids get ill Same principle

Or windows that cannot be opened due to age or poor maintenance. Plus heard in the past that some landlords glued/did something to windows to prevent them being opened.

Op has already said her relative lived in sheltered housing, windows open, curtains drawn, fans in the room.

No. This is ridiculous. If this was the case then we’d be seeing 50 year olds dropping dead all over the UK.

I am sorry but use some common sense. This person had a serious underlying condition which caused her sad condition. Please stop acting like taking responsibility for your lifestyle makes zero difference. Or, are you saying smoking won’t affect health?

That is tragic, I am so sorry.

No, it’s not ‘normal’ for a healthy 50-year-old to fall into a coma from hot weather. The fact that this person was later found to have significant COPD suggests they weren’t physiologically the same as the average healthy 50-year-old, even if nobody knew it at the time. That doesn’t diminish what happened, but it does matter when people are trying to understand how representative the case is

There are some medications that affect how the hypothalamus (temperature regulator) work such as beta blockers and some antidepressants. You are required to hydrate and keep cool

Having just had a relative in ICU for 7 weeks, on a ventilator for 5 of them, the care from the staff is just second to none and they are well versed in delivering frank messages to family in a dignified way. They will guide you as to what is the best course of action regarding any decision to remove life support.

Surely this thread should be free of MN bickering?

OP, wishing you and your family peace as you face another uncertain night ahead x

We've been told the leading cause is heat stroke, and the COPD and infections are coincidental findings however they are making her recovery much much more unrealistic

Not "significant COPD"

This second guessing and assumptions about her pre-existing conditions are grossly insensitive.

Im sorry to hear about your relative

This may not be directly relevant to the situation and if it is may have been thought about already, but the link below gives info about medications that increase risk of heatstroke

mentalhealth-uk.org/news-and-insights/summer-and-mental-health/

So what are you suggesting?

We should all be paranoid we will enter a coma once it gets hot? How do you suggest we process that info without unnecessary anxiety?

Don't be ridiculous.

I'm saying quibbling about the nature of her condition is inappropriate- the op has been told to prepare herself for the tragedy of losing a loved one and posters are treating the thread as somewhere to debate the likelihood of dying from heatstroke. The insensitivity and crassness is staggering.

Er, where did I say that? My point was that the summers are going to keep getting hotter, well beyond the ability of individuals to manage. We will have to change how we build homes, schools, public spaces. We may have to re-organise school days to finish by lunchtime, as some hot countries do.

I remember my rising panic when I had a small baby in an inner London flat during a heatwave - no garden, no car - and desperately trying and failing to keep her cool. That was 20 years ago, and didn't last long, but as super-hot summers become the norm this will become a significant public health problem.

That's it. Not ridiculous, not controversial.

No. You are being ridiculous.

what happened to the OPs relative is incredibly sad but the title is misleading and the underlying condition actually explains why it happened. Stop acting like this is a common occurrence because it isn’t.

If it were then thousands of 50 year olds would have been admitted to hospital at Covid level emergency levels by now

OP I’m so sorry to read about your relative. It sounds very sudden and shocking, it must be so hard to get your head around, when it’s so unexpected.

I remember my late father developing heat stroke in 1976 after trying to teach me to swim. He also had COPD and was only in his forties (he had started smoking young when he was in the army). Fortunately, my mum was able to get help and he survived, but his breathing was very bad for several days.

Something I did want to draw attention to, was that you said your relative had closed her curtains, but left the windows open. The NHS advice is to keep windows closed too during the day and then to open them at night. This may be hard for people with lung conditions though. Even though your relative didn’t have a formal diagnosis, it’s likely that she was feeling the effects of her stiff lungs and probably felt the need for air, so it may have felt natural to her to open the windows even when it was so hot.

NHS advice.
Keep your living space cool. Close windows, curtains and blinds during the day and open them at night when the temperature outside has gone down. Electric fans can help if the temperature is below 35 degrees.

So sorry to hear this and I hope she recovers. I know the dangers of heatstroke especially in the very young and elderly and those with medical conditions but 50s is no age especially if she has no underlying health issues. It is surprising that this can happen even in someones home and I have been reminding my mum to make sure she stays as cool as possible. Cooling towels work quite well round peoples necks. Such a tragedy for you but I am hoping that maybe she will beat the odds and survive.

The title isn't misleading. Her relative is in the ICU with heatstroke and unlikely to live as a result of heatstroke. The op has made that very clear.

It isn't a public service announcement. If you wish to reassure other readers of the risk factors of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, create a different thread. The only replies appropriate here are those of compassion and sympathy, not pedantry.

Yes. I've noticed a lot of people when they hear of someone becoming very ill relatively young are desperate to find a reason that it could never happen to them. It must be because the other person did A, B or C.
The fact is people get sick at all sorts of ages. Sometimes it's very unexpected and not because of something they've done wrong.

Hugs OP. Keep strong! Wishing you all the best. I have heard many good outcome from icu so keep strong.

Hope OP won’t mind me posting this here- I literally wish I could get a megaphone to broadcast this message. I am originally from a very very hot country- I mean 38 degree Celsius is considered bearable. We regularly got 47/49 and 50 degree Celsius. So I grew up hearing these messages so they are second nature: keep cool, keep hydrating even when you are not feeling thirsty- you literally get dehydrated before you can feel/ register it. Most people wake up already on a drip on a hospital bed having passed out due to simply getting dehydrated without noticing the condition. Stay out of direct sun between 11am and 3pm. Avoid strenuous activities/ exercise. Do gentle exercises only during the cooler part of the day. I am known as a water queen and constantly hand out ice-cold water bottles to anyone around me, during summer.

I understand none of that could have helped OP’s relative, however, it could help 80% of the population that ignores the guidance.

Another poster mentioned washing your hair and face with cold water. And to be fair, keeping hydrated throughout the day does make you cope with the heat, a lot better. It also helps you sleep better at night, as the body does get tired fighting the heat all day.

again, I will keep my fingers crossed for the op.