Case Study: Lost in the Desert

Lost in the Desert

Part I: July 13th, AM

Given the conditions, Henry should do everything to cool Mark down. With Mark’s symptoms (weakness, nausea, disorientation, headache, and low blood pressure), his low blood pressure (70/50) , and his high body temperature (105°), I’d diagnose Mark with hypotension along with his heatstroke. Heat stroke is a type of hyperthermia, severe hyperthermia is defined as a body temperature with 104° and up. Since Mark was in such harsh conditions (in a desert with the temperature being 105°) for several hours, Mark experienced dehydration and lack of nutrients which are causes for hypotension. A dehydrated person such as Mark, may not be able to sweat fast enough to dissipate heat, which causes the body temperature to rise. Mark’s sweat glands are probably dysfunctioning which is preventing his body to cool down, overheating his body and putting him into heat stroke. Cooling the victim is a critical step in the treatment of heat stroke. To treat Mark’s low blood pressure, Henry should get Mark a higher concentration of sodium to raise his blood pressure. Henry should begin to rehydrate Mark, fan him, and wet his skin with water. To reduce body temperature Henry should apply ice packs (if they are available) to areas rich with blood vessels close to the skin (armpits, groin, neck, and back).

Part II: July 13th, PM

The paramedic (Henry) didn’t give Mark distilled water apposed to electrolyte/glucose solution because Henry noticed that Mark’s blood pressure was unusually low. Most doctors recommend to avoid consuming foods or drinks with high levels of sodium because sodium can dramatically raise your blood pressure. However, in Mark’s case, this could be beneficial.

Mark’s high body temperature along with his diagnoses heat stroke caused a drop in the person’s blood pressure, which in turn causes disorientation and deliriousness.

Part III: Subsequent Months

Moles are spots that appear on the skin where...