An afternoon at the pool turned into a life-threatening experience for senior Betty Lou Summer, 82. After taking a nap in the sun during a severe heatwave, she suffered severe burns and severe heatstroke, which led to her being rushed to hospital.
- Betty Lou Summer collapsed by the pool during the heat.
- After falling asleep in the sun, she suffered severe heatstroke and extensive burns.
- Temperatures in the area exceeded forty degrees Celsius that day.
Betty Lou from the US state of Arizona went to the pool in the San Tan Valley area to sunbathe in early June. She sat down on a metal chair and soon fell asleep, unaware of the danger posed by the temperatures, which exceeded 40 degrees Celsius that day. After about an hour, other visitors to the pool noticed that he was not responding to anything. They immediately called the emergency services, moved her into the shade and tried to cool her with wet towels until the ambulance arrived.
Daughter Michelle explained that her mother only briefly closed her eyes, but soon lost consciousness and became unresponsive. Upon arrival at the hospital, doctors diagnosed her with severe heatstroke, multiple organ failure and burns on approximately 30% of her body.
Due to the severity of the condition, the patient had to be intubated, connected to artificial pulmonary ventilation and dialysis, which supported kidney function. “She had blisters all over her body. She went into hypovolemic shock and her kidneys began to fail, a serious complication of heatstroke” said her daughter.
The terrifying incident took place during a severe heat wave that hit Arizona with temperatures exceeding 43 degrees Celsius. The weather service there has issued extreme heat warnings for most of the state. During extreme heat, it is recommended to avoid prolonged exposure to the sun, ensure sufficient fluid intake and pay extra attention to the elderly, children and people with chronic diseases.
This article comes from the Ringier publishing partner website. The content and data contained in it were taken without editorial intervention.
