Amidst the heatwave in Delhi, RML Hospital has implemented special measures to effectively handle heatstroke patients.
Dr. Seema Balkrishna Wasnik, Head of Emergency Medicine at RML, outlined the urgent care procedures, including the use of inflatable tubs filled with ice for heatstroke patients.
“At RML hospital, if any patient (of heat stroke) comes in critical situation he is taken to the red zone, intubated, we have inflatable tubs. We can still put the patient on a ventilator and also in the bathtub filled with ice and cold water and bring down the temperature simultaneously,” she explained.
Wasnik stressed the importance of swift treatment, noting, “The treatment of heatstroke should be started as soon as possible; otherwise, the mortality goes up to 80 per cent and if we manage the patient early, the mortality can go as down as 10 per cent.”
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported temperatures exceeding 45 degrees Celsius at 41 locations across the country on May 30. In Delhi, Safdarjung recorded 45.6°C, Palam 46.4°C, Ridge 46.7°C, and Ayanagar reached 47.0°C.
The IMD forecasted a gradual reduction in heatwave conditions over Northwest and Central India from May 30. It also predicted hot and humid weather in isolated parts of Konkan and Goa on May 30 and 31.
According to IMD data, maximum temperatures were significantly above normal in several places over Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi on May 28.
Earlier, the IMD addressed the maximum temperature of over 52 degrees Celsius recorded in Delhi on Wednesday, attributing it to a possible error in the sensor or local factors. The organization stated that it is investigating the data and sensors.