People with cardiac and respiratory problems should be especially careful during extreme heat like the temperatures forecast across Central New York this week, a Guthrie health network official said Monday.
“Lung disease, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), emphysema are conditions that can worsen as they expose themselves to sudden heat,” Dr. Jon Rittenberger, chief medical officer for Guthrie’s Pennsylvania hospitals and emergency department physician, said at a news event.
Heat with high humidity can badly worsen these conditions, Rittenberger said. Exertion during 60-degree temperatures is far less than exertion in temperatures above, say, 90.
The human body evolved good ways of shedding heat — sweating, flushing blood nearer the skin — but the system gets overwhelmed, Rittenberger said.
“When people stop sweating is the time to worry,” he said, explaining this means the body’s thermoregulation is shutting down, an immediate medical emergency.
Try to be active during the cooler parts of the day, stay hydrated and stay in temperature-controlled environments, Rittenberger said of how to escape the worst of the heat. He said to watch for heat exhaustion symptoms like fatigue, muscle cramps and disorientation.
Guthrie Cortland Communications Coordinator Steve Osterhaus said hospitals in the Guthrie network are constantly assessing staff levels to make sure they can handle any influx of patients.
Rittenberger said if there is a patient surge, the hospital has resources to meet the need.
The Cortland County Health Department said starting today, temperatures in the region will exceed 90-degrees for days, with little overnight relief. Extreme heat causes more deaths annually than any other weather-related hazard, the county said.
