Title: Pediatric heat related car deaths<br/>Author: Jenny Guyther<br/><a href='http://umem.org/profiles/faculty/314/'>[Click to email author]</a><hr/><p style="margin-left: 15px; box-sizing: border-box;"> - A higher metabolic rate, reduced capacity for sweating, greater thermolability, and a larger body surface-to-volume ratio make infants and young children more susceptible to hyperthermia.</p> <p style="margin-left: 15px; box-sizing: border-box;"> - Temperatures can rise rapidly within enclosed vehicles, reaching maximum temperatures within 5 minutes. In an open area with an ambient temp of 98 F (36.8 C), interior temperatures reach 124-152 F (51 to 67 C) within 15 minutes of closing the car doors.</p> <p style="margin-left: 15px; box-sizing: border-box;"> - Texas leads the country in the numbers of pediatric heatstroke fatalities due to unattended children left in cars, followed by Florida and California.</p> <p style="margin-left: 15px; box-sizing: border-box;"> - Most heatstroke victims (78.2%) were unknowingly left in vehicles by their caregivers.</p> <p style="margin-left: 15px; box-sizing: border-box;"> - Most organizations interested in child safety issues recommend placing a phone, briefcase, or handbag in the back seat when traveling with a child as one way to prevent heatstroke fatalities.</p> <fieldset><legend>References</legend>
<div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> <span style="color: rgb(33, 37, 41); font-family: myriad-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700;">Hammett DL, Kennedy TM, Selbst SM, et al. Pediatric Heatstroke Fatalities Caused by Being Left in Motor Vehicles. </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(33, 37, 41); font-family: myriad-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700;">Pediatr Emerg Care.</i><span style="color: rgb(33, 37, 41); font-family: myriad-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700;"> 2020 May 28. doi: 10.1097/PEC.0000000000002115. Online ahead of print.</span></div> <div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> <span style="color: rgb(33, 37, 41); font-family: myriad-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 700;">AAP question of the week. June 16, 2021.</span></div> </fieldset>