118 records an increase in interventions, throughout Italy, for heat-related diseases, from heat stroke to sudden cardiac arrest. This was reported to time.news Salute by Marzio Balzanelli, national president of SIS 118, underlining that “this exceptional heat wave, unfortunately, is not free from significant repercussions on our health, especially when we do not equip ourselves and do not behave with caution and wisdom to face these extreme temperatures. The most affected groups are the elderly, particularly patients with diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular system, and very young children “.
“The real danger that 118 has to manage – explains Balzanelli – is sudden cardiac arrest on the beaches. Every summer, red-coded rescue interventions take place for patients who go into sudden cardiac arrest. And, unfortunately, the most of us are unable to save them, because we realize this condition too late or the subjects are in the water and go to drown. Therefore, we need to equip ourselves in time, with behaviors on which the 118 asks for attention, even more so in these days of very high temperatures “.
Here’s what to do to reduce the risks, Balzanelli lists: “Patients with cardiovascular and respiratory diseases must review the dosage of the drugs with the attending physician, they must be modulated according to the temperatures; you need to hydrate, drinking water and mineral salts, favoring food at meals rich in minerals such as vegetables and fruit; keeping the head, in particular the nape of the neck, wet and wearing white hats, also wet: this favors the transfer of heat from the body to the outside, it is like having a cooling shock absorber. It is necessary to avoid drinking alcohol: spending a sleepless night in clubs and discos and continuing to drink the next day on the beach is a deadly mix that triggers syncopal events, as we see in many young people who collapse on the beaches “.
“When you don’t feel well – continues Balzanelli – the first rule is to put yourself in a cool and ventilated environment. It is very important to recognize heatstroke, everyone should learn how to do it. There are two fundamental characteristics that must trigger the alarm. : an altered psychism, that is the subject becomes drowsy or begins to behave in an atypical way, to say strange things; and the stopping of sweating. These are signs of serious danger, in front of which it is necessary to intervene quickly – he stresses – Heat stroke it produces edema of the brain and can create multiorganic and multisystem dysfunction, it can be fatal if not recognized in time and treated “.
What to do? “After taking the subject to a cool and ventilated place – replies the number one of Sis 118 – it is necessary to wet him, wrapping him in damp cloths or watering him with water or placing ice cubes, wrapped in a towel, on both sides of the neck, armpits and groin level. This cooling procedure must last at least 20 minutes – he recommends – waiting for 118 to arrive, who must be called immediately. It is essential that all beaches are equipped with semi-automatic defibrillators and that lifeguards are trained to use them and intervene correctly “. But the more people know how to use them, the better.
Last summer, with the ‘safe beaches’ initiative, Sis118 “trained swimmers to correctly perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation maneuvers. 3,500 swimmers were trained free of charge on Italian beaches. There was great support for the initiative. , the population has been very receptive. It is necessary to affect individual behaviors to change things, health education is done by being with people, and not closed in the rooms, to transfer the necessary skills: this is the vision of Sis118, who works for local health care “, remarks Balzanelli.
The increase in road accidents is “another summer scourge” for 118. “It is again a war bulletin – he comments – it is mostly young people who crash into cars and motorcycles, often at dawn, as a result of completely insane behaviors, on which we must reflect and intervene. We must return to health education. Driving must not be speed, but a moment of ‘recreation’, a moment to enjoy. This means going slowly “, he says well Balzanelli closing with a provocation: “The tortoise punctually brings the flowers to the hare’s grave”.