EVAPORATION VERSUS ICED PERITONEAL-LAVAGE TREATMENT OF HEATSTROKE - COMPARATIVE EFFICACY IN A CANINE MODEL

The authors compared the speed of cooling and treatment efficacy for evaporative cooling versus iced peritoneal lavage in a canine heatstroke model. Nine random-source, mongrel dogs were anesthetized, shaved, and internally heated until the core temperature reached 43.0°C. The animals were then randomly assigned to be cooled to 37°C either by sterile normal saline (6°C) continuous peritoneal lavage at 250 mL/min (n = 4), or by spraying with tap water (15°C, 12 L/min) before a large fan blowing room temperature air (23°C) across the dog at 0.5 m/sec from a height of 50 cm (n = 5). Temperatures were monitored by thermocouples in both tympanic membranes. Electrocardiogram, blood pressure, and pulse were continuously monitored. Evaporative cooling was as rapid as iced peritoneal lavage (0.18 ± .03 versus 0.17 ± .07°C/min/m2, P = NS). All animals survived, although one animal in each treatment group demonstrated a moderate neurologic deficit when measured 48 hours following resuscitation. A simple nonivasive evaporative cooling technique, readlly available in the emergency department, appears to be as rapid and effective as aggressive peritoneal lavage for cooling and treating heatstroke in the dog. © 1993.