This week a dangerous heat wave settled over Midwestern and southern as triple-digit temperatures, combined with high humidity, have health officials urging people to stay hydrated and remain indoors. Nearly one-third of the U.S. population is expected to be in areas of dangerously hot and humid conditions, according to the National Weather Service. 
Excessive heat warnings and heat advisories span from Michigan to northern Florida and parts of southern California and Arizona. Dr, Christopher Sampson, Emergency Medicine Physician at the University of Missouri Health Care, joins Cheddar to offer tips on staying safe during this heatwave.  

Opening Bell

Heat Wave Bakes Parts of the U.S., More Than 100 Million Affected

here to discuss, this is dr chris first Samson emergency medicine physician at the University of Missouri Healthcare doc. Thank you so much for being here. You know these uh conditions are very concerning for so many people. So how severe is this heat wave compared to the years passed? Well thanks for having me. We're definitely seeing longer hotter summers. And this is leading to seeing more patients suffering from injuries associated with the And I mean like compared to what we're looking at like a 50° jump or it's just like Okay, it's similar. Well we're seeing a definitely an increase. I mean with this weather being longer, I mean we have more patients who present the emergency department with heat related injuries and actually it's not even just the heat that causes patients to come to the department, it's other medical conditions. So even in times when the weather is hotter, we see a rise in everything in the emergency department, a rise in trauma patients arise in people having heart attacks, people having strokes, all those are associated with this rise in the temperature. Well let's help people out, let's try to keep them safe, what can people do to stay a little bit safer during these heatwaves? Yeah, the first thing is just being prepared. So even before you head out during the day it's making sure you're well hydrated. So that's having a big glass of water, making sure you're not thirsty before you leave the house and then it's also planning um it's if you're going to be outside working. You need to want you want to make sure you have an appropriate clothing on, you want to be covered appropriately. You want to be wearing sunscreen and then it's also having a plan. So if you are working outside are going to be outdoors, it's knowing you need to take some breaks, you need to get out of that heat. Either it's getting the shade, go into a cold building a vehicle with air conditioning. You want to be prepared to have that plan. So if you do start feeling the effects of the heat, you have somewhere to go. That's a good idea. You know, over 600 people die each year nationwide due to the extreme heat condition. But it's also often from uh heat stroke that they're dealing with. So what are the warning signs that someone is having a heat-related illness? Yeah, so the first signs, you might see that they can sometimes be mild. You may feel a racing heartbeat, you may feel dizzy, you may feel excessively thirsty, you may be sweating more than normal. Those are often just the first signs. And then that's just when you want to get into uh indoors into a shaded area. Start cooling off heat cramps can also begin in that time period. The more severe time of heat stroke. That's a true medical emergency. Those people can be unconscious confused. You really stop sweating at that point and they may even suffer from seizures. That is really, again, that's a medical emergency, you need to call 911 and those people need to get to a hospital and they need to be cooled down as rapidly as possible. Yeah, that's scary. All right, Well, you know, let's talk about your state Missouri officials there are advising people, you know, these heat waves that could be coming And they're telling people that they want to be safe. And there are certain, like rules after temperatures reach a record of 100° that people should try to follow. One safety rule is of course drinking more water staying hydrated. So how can one avoid um dehydration? And what are some of the signs of dehydration, which may be different from the heat stroke? So dehydration just can be feeling thirsty. So if you already are feeling thirsty, you're probably behind the game and you need to get liquids in you. Um It's again being prepared drinking before you leave. So water um water is really the best liquid. Uh a lot of the sports drinks, they contain a lot of sugar, which is really unnecessary. So again, your best bet is just drinking water if you do feel excessively dehydrated. So that could be where you're passing out or you're dizzy. Um That's again, you're probably really behind, you need to get some liquids in you. If you're you're not symptoms aren't improving. Then again, you probably need to go to the emergency department to be evaluated and that's a great point that you made earlier that, you know, you have to drink before you leave because if you're thirsty, you're already probably too dehydrated and you need to get those liquids in you before you even get into the sun or the beach or the pool as another example. So what would your tips be for those that have to be outside for extended period of time? And the sun, for instance, people who are working, you know, road workers, construction workers, people who are working the lawn and gardening services industry, what are your tips for those people? Uh you want to wear clothing that enables you to breathe and sweat so that there are a lot of now commercially available products that help with that uh, cooler clothing. You want something that can cover your head uh and shade your face again, it's taking frequent breaks. So if you're going to be outside, find an area where you can at least get into the shade, maybe an area where there's air conditioning even sitting in your vehicle. If the air conditioning is running if you're gonna be outdoors for a long period time, it's, it's really important to have those brakes because the heat as it kind of accumulates with you, it's gonna become very excessive and you can suffer effects from it definitely. And, you know, there also are certain groups of people that are more prone to heat related problems, for example, you know, kids and the elderly. What should people keep in mind if they're caring for someone like kids and the elderly? So, with Children, it's often sometimes they can't tell you that they're feeling the effects of heat. They may not be able to verbalize it real well. So again, to look for excessive sweating, behavioral changes, they may be excessively flushed. Uh Those are really the first signs you wanna look for in Children with elderly. Um It's often they can lack the ability to sweat effectively as you get older, that that ability declines. So they just, you want to make sure that they are getting plenty of hydration and then they're not out in the heat for excessive periods of time. Also with the elderly, it's important to make sure if you do have neighbors or people who don't have air conditioning in their home, you want to check in on them because the temperatures can rise pretty high within homes if they don't have a c especially when the temperatures are above 100°. All great points and advice for everyone. Hopefully everyone was listening out there so we can keep them safe. All right, thank you so much. Dr Christopher Samson, emergency medicine