At 3 pm on June 12, 2024, the Jingkai Emergency Center of Beijing Emergency Center received a call for help from an 89-year-old female patient at a community in Fengtai District. The patient described her symptoms such as dizziness and panic with her weak voice. The emergency doctor calmed the patient immediately and told her stay still and wait for the arrival of the ambulance.
The ambulance crew rushed to the community where the patient was. On the way, the emergency doctor kept in touch with the patient to keep an eye on her condition. Entering the patient's home, the medical staff found that the indoor doors and windows were closed. It is hot and the air circulation was poor. In such an environment, the patient's symptoms will worsen further definitely. The doctor quickly performed a physical examination on the patient and found that her blood pressure was as high as 220/110mmHg, which was far beyond the normal range. The doctor initially diagnosed the patient's condition as severe hypertension, and immediately asked the nurse to open an intravenous access for the patient for antihypertensive drugs. After communicating with the family, the crew learned that the patient had just taken off her thick cotton pants the day before and insisted on wearing thick clothes today.
The crew carefully moved the patient onto the ambulance. The air conditioner was on in the car, providing a relatively comfortable environment for the patient. However, the patient said that the temperature was too low, and urged his son to go home to get a quilt. The driver drove the ambulance quickly and smoothly to the receiving hospital. The doctor focused on the patient's vital signs and kept asking her how she felt. The patient said that her symptoms had eased, which relieved the medical staff and the families.
After timely treatment and transfer, the patient was safely delivered to the receiving hospital. After the crew handed over the condition in detail with the medical staff of the emergency department, they provided health education for the patient and his family.
Here are some tips from Beijing 120. High temperature and high humidity environment has many health effects on patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases such as hypertension, including blood pressure fluctuations, increased risk of thrombosis, increased cardiac load, decreased sleep quality, sympathetic nerve excitement, temperature difference changes and other potential risks. Due to physiological reasons, the blood circulation and metabolism of the elderly slow down, and they are more "sensitive to coldness" than young people. Due to low immunity and weakened nerve regulation, the elderly have poor adaptability to temperature, and they are used to wearing thick clothes to keep warm. Although the surrounding temperature has risen in the hot summer, the elderly who are "afraid of cold" are often insensitive to temperature changes and do not feel stuffy. Temperature fluctuations also play a role in inducing factors for the disease condition of elderly patients, so the families of the elderly patients with chronic diseases should pay more attention to their daily life.
In short, in the hot summer, it is recommended that citizens avoid outdoor travel and activities during high temperature periods, pay attention to adjusting the appropriate temperature and humidity of the indoor environment, drink enough water, keep a reasonable diet, exercise appropriately, and maintain good sleeping habits. At the same time, patients with chronic diseases should also adjust their medications according to the doctor's advice, and regularly monitor their blood pressure and heart rate, to keep them within the normal range. If there is any discomfort, it is necessary to seek medical attention in time.