ViewpointThe death of a British officer-cadet from heat illness
Section snippets
Four problems
The first problem relates to the cadet's initial collapse. In servicemen at the start of their training a fairly large body-mass index increases the risk of developing EHI.5 But this first collapse was surprising because he had been unaffected previously by the heat challenges incurred playing sport. The short run should have been completed within the safe latent period before the core temperature had had an opportunity to reach a dangerous threshold, but some collapses can occur after only a
The inquest
An inquest has two components, the process and the verdict. Although the powers of a British coroner are limited and circumscribed, knowledge that an inquest may follow a death is a salutary check on the activities of professionals and organisations. But if the coroner is to fulfil his or her role, the process must also lower the risk that a similar death should ever re-occur. In this inquest the rationale of the training exercise that led to the cadet's death went unchallenged and an
Questions raised
Does the RMA have any plans for reforming training schedules or does it intend to continue as before? Do the authorities concede that the basic rules of physiology and thermal homoeostasis apply to the officer-cadets of Sandhurst? Do they agree that EHI is both foreseeable and preventable? What advice had the senior medical officer of the RMA given to the commandant?
The US army applies the principle that a commander is responsible for every mishap to the men in his unit. His immediate superior
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The effect of fan cooling on physiological responses during recovery following prolonged walking in the heat among male military reserve cadets
2022, Science and SportsCitation Excerpt :Heat stroke is associated with central nervous system dysfunction, including delirium, convulsions, and coma, making it difficult to distinguish from sepsis. These manifestations are thought to be an encephalopathic response to a systemic inflammatory cascade that may lead to death [2,3]. Historically, the incidence of heatstroke was reported to be low among military personnel from countries with tropical climate due to the acclimation of these individuals to physical work in the warm and humid weather [4].
Methods to produce hyperthermia-induced brain dysfunction
2007, Progress in Brain ResearchCitation Excerpt :Heat-related illnesses are known since Biblical time (Judith 8: 2). However, they are seldom addressed as a medical or health problems in our society (Brahams, 1989; Bricknell, 1994, 1996; Porter, 2000). The magnitude of heat-related death, probably due to an increase in global warming will soon become a huge clinical burden on our health planners (Knochel, 1974, 1983; Kunkel et al., 1996; Luterbacher et al., 2004).
The effect of exercise on the gastrointestinal tract
2005, EMC - Hepato-GastroenterologieExertional heat stroke: I - Clinical aspects and prevention
2003, Science and SportsMalignant hyperthermia and myotonic disorders
2002, Anesthesiology Clinics of North America