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Heat Tetany
From WikiSM
Contents
Other Names
- Heat Tetany
- Carpopedal spasm
Background
- This page refers to heat tetany, a heat related illness
History
Epidemiology
Pathophysiology
- General
- Heat stress causes hyperventilation, respiratory alkalosis
- Tetany: hyperexcitability of nerve and muscle when the concentration of extracellular ionized calcium is decreased
- Most commonly manifests as carpopedal spasm, circumoral parasthesia
- May mimic Heat Cramps
- Separate clinical entity
- Characterized by cramping of muscle compartments
Associated Conditions
Risk Factors
- Unknown
Differential Diagnosis
Differential Diagnosis Heat Illness
- Minor
- Major
Clinical Features
Carpopedal spasm[1]
- History
- Patients often report perioral or circumoral parasthesias
- Carpopedal spasm
- Muscle cramping should be absent (seen in heat cramps)
- Physical Exam
- Core body temperature can be normal or elevated
- Special Tests
Evaluation
- Clinical diagnosis
Classification
- Not applicable
Management
- General
- Move to cooler environment
- Important to consider other etiologies (i.e. status asthmaticus, metabolic acidosis, CNS disorders, toxicology, etc)
- Rebreathing
- Placing patient on a partial rebreather oxygen mask
- Will allow patient to rebreathe CO2 without causing hypoxia, reduce hyperventilation
- Benzodiazepine
- May be required to help terminate symptoms
Rehab and Return to Play
Rehabilitation
- No specific rehab
Return to Play/ Work
- May return to play/work as soon as symptoms resolve
Complications and Prognosis
Prognosis
- Self limited
Complications
- Unknown
See Also
References
- ↑ Athappan, Ganesh, and Venkatesh Kumar Ariyamuthu. "Chvostek's sign and carpopedal spasm." New England Journal of Medicine 360.18 (2009): e24.
Created by:
John Kiel on 30 June 2019 22:49:00
Authors:
Last edited:
15 September 2022 08:38:11
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