BackgroundExertional heat stroke is a devastating condition that can cause significant morbidity and mortality. Rapid cooling is the most effective means of treating heat stroke but little is published on the safety and logistics of cooling patients on-site at a major sporting event. PurposeTo describe an on-site exertional heat stroke (EHS) treatment protocol and to compare the outcomes of patients treated on-site to those transferred to hospitals. Study Design Descriptive Epidemiological Study MethodsUsing race day medical records and ambulance run sheets, we identified patients who developed exertional heat stroke at the Indianapolis half marathon from the years of 2005-2012. EHS was defined as runners with a core temperature measured with a rectal thermometer greater than 102°F and altered mental status. Clinical information and patient outcomes were abstracted from the race medical tent and hospital charts by three separate trained reviewers using structured methods and a data collection form. Three reviewers, using a RedCAP database and dual-data entry, abstracted records for each patient. A third reviewer arbitrated all discrepancies between reviewers. Clinical signs, treatments, and outcomes were calculated using descriptive statistics and data were grouped and compared for patients treated on-site or transferred to local hospitals for treatment. ResultsOver 235,000 athletes participated in the event over the eight-year period with 696 seeking medical care. Thirty-two heat stroke victims were identified during the study period and of these 22 were treated on-site. Of these 68% were treated with cold-water immersion and 59% of were discharged home from the race. Ten exertional heat stroke patients were transported from the

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At present there is no evidence of a university ergonomics program in the literature. A preliminary review of 2186 accident records from a public university established a need for a university ergonomics program by revealing that ergonomics related injuries, primarily sprains/strains and joint/muscle/tendon injuries accounted for 35.92% of the lost workday injuries. Sprains/strains and joint/muscle/tendon injuries were further analyzed to determine the causes of these injuries, body areas injured, and to determine whether there were differences in the causes of back, upper, and lower extremity ergonomics related injuries. Overexertion and manual material handling of heavy objects were the causes, respectively, of 36.30% and 10.56% of employee sprains/strains and 38.75% and 12.5% of employee joint/muscle/tendon injuries. The results of the study indicated that a university ergonomics program should focus on reducing sprains/strains of the back and upper extremities caused by lifting heavy objects and overexerting muscles in these body areas.

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