Guidelines Cardiovascular Quality and Patient Safety

Guideline for the Treatment of Heat Stroke

Jeffrey F. Barletta, PharmD, FCCP, FCCM Heatherlee Bailey, MD, FAAEM, MCCM

PUBLISHED: 02/21/2025

Guideline for the Treatment of Heat Stroke

Citation: Barletta JF, Palmieri TL, Toomey SA, et al. Society of Critical Care Medicine guideline for the treatment of heat stroke. Crit Care Med. 2025;53(2):e490-e500.

Predicted increases in heat-related weather phenomena will result in increasing heat exposures and heat injuries such as heat stroke. Prompt recognition, early intervention, and evidence-based management are necessary to optimize outcomes. These SCCM guidelines outline recommendations for the treatment of patients with heat stroke.

The guidelines panel generated two strong recommendations, five good practice statements and one “only-in-the-context of research” statement. Active cooling measures are recommended over passive cooling methods, with cold- or ice-water immersion achieving the fastest cooling rate. This method should be prioritized where available. In patients with heat stroke, there is no evidence to support pharmacological interventions that affect temperature control, so they should be avoided.

Guideline Type: Clinical

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Infographic: 2025 SCCM Guideline for the Treatment of Heat Stroke

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Author

Jeffrey F. Barletta, PharmD, FCCP, FCCM

Jeffrey F. Barletta, PharmD, FCCP, FCCM, is a professor and vice chair of pharmacy practice at Midwestern University (MWU) College of Pharmacy. Prior to joining MWU, Dr. Barletta was a clinical specialist in surgical critical care at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, and Detroit Receiving Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He has more than 20 years of experience in critical care and is currently a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine, Critical Care Medicine Board , and SCCM’s Council.

Author

Heatherlee Bailey, MD, FAAEM, MCCM

Heatherlee Bailey, MD, FAAEM, MCCM, is an emergency medicine intensivist. She completed her emergency medicine residency and a faculty fellowship in critical care at the Medical College of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Her career is rooted in education, trainee development, and mentorship. Her dedication and expertise have been nationally recognized with awards from both SCCM and the AMA. Dr. Bailey serves as an oral board examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine. Dr. Bailey’s path of volunteerism, mentorship, and leadership led her to be the first emergency medicine-trained president of SCCM.

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