Phoenix using ice immersion to treat heat stroke victims as Southwest bakes in triple digits

By ANITA SNOW
Associated Press

PHOENIX (AP) — The season’s first heat wave is already baking the Southwestern US with triple digit temperatures as Phoenix firefighters employ new tactics in hopes of saving more lives. Maricopa County saw 645 heat-related deaths last year. Starting this season, the Phoenix Fire Department is immersing heatstroke victims in ice on the way to area hospitals. The hospitals have also recently begun adopting the technique as a go-to protocol. The medical technique is known as cold water immersion. Experts say it can dramatically lower body temperature in minutes. First repsponders and hospitals are increasingly embracing the protocol as experts warn of the hottest weather since last September.