Title: Pediatric Heatstroke Fatalities Due to Being Left in Motor Vehicles<br/>Author: Cathya Olivas Michels<br/><a href='http://umem.org/profiles/resident/1600/'>[Click to email author]</a><hr/><p>   Every year, numerous children die of non-exertional heatstroke after being left in motor vehicles in the United States. Per data obtained from the national nonprofit KidsAndCars.org, the average number of pediatric vehicular heatstroke deaths is 39 per year since 1990. In 2018, this number peaked at 54 pediatric deaths. Prior studies show that the interior temperature of a closed vehicle rises quickly within minutes of closing the doors and windows. This rapid change occurs even on days with cooler ambient temperatures (20s °C/70s °F): the interior temperature of a car may still reach 117F within an hour.</p>  <p>   Children, particularly infants and toddlers, are at increased risk for heat illness due to several physiologic and developmental factors:</p>  <p>   -       Unable to escape hot environments or to self-hydrate</p>  <p>   -       Lack mature thermoregulatory systems</p>  <p style="margin-left:1in;">   o   Have lower rate of sweat production than adults</p>  <p>   -       Have higher basal metabolic rates than adults</p>  <p>   -       Have higher body surface area:mass ratio --> absorb heat faster in hot environments</p>  <p>   <strong>Bottom line:</strong>  ED providers can be instrumental in giving anticipatory guidance on vehicular heatstroke in children during the warmer seasons:</p>  <p>   -        Educate caregivers to “Look before you Lock”</p>  <p>   -       Suggest that the caregiver place a valuable object (phone, employee badge, handbag) in the back seat when traveling with a child</p>  <p>   -       Remind caregiver of the dangers of intentionally leaving a child in the car for any reason, even during cooler spring/summer days.</p>  
                <div align='center'>
                <a href='http://www.umem.org/educational_pearls/3778/' target='_blank'><b>CLICK TO VIEW MORE IN-DEPTH INFORMATION</b></a><br/>
                (Must disable pop-up blocker to open new window)
                </div>
                <fieldset><legend>References</legend>

                <p>   <a href="https://www.kidsandcars.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Heatstroke-fact-sheet.pdf">https://www.kidsandcars.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Heatstroke-fact-sheet.pdf</a></p>  <p>   Hammett, D. L., Kennedy, T. M., Selbst, S. M., Rollins, A. & Fennell, J. E. Pediatric Heatstroke Fatalities Caused by Being Left in Motor Vehicles. <em>Pediatric Emergency Care, </em>(2020).</p>  </fieldset><fieldset><legend>Attachments</legend>
                        Hammett._Pediatric_Heatstroke_Fatalities_Caused_by_Being_Left_in_Cars.pdf (581 Kb)<br/><a href='http://umem.org/files/uploads/2007031141_Hammett._Pediatric_Heatstroke_Fatalities_Caused_by_Being_Left_in_Cars.pdf' target='_blank'>http://umem.org/files/uploads/2007031141_Hammett._Pediatric_Heatstroke_Fatalities_Caused_by_Being_Left_in_Cars.pdf</a><br/><br/></fieldset>