What is the treatment for heat stroke?

• A. Administration of warm blankets to prevent shivering.
• B. Rapid cooling with ice packs to axilla, groin, neck, and sponge with cool water and fan.
• C. Oral rehydration only.
• D. Observation without intervention.

Answer: (B)

Heat stroke is a life-threatening situation where the body's temperature control fails, so the immediate priority is to lower the core temperature as fast as possible. The most effective immediate treatment combines rapid cooling methods: apply ice packs to major vascular areas—the armpits, groin, and neck—to pull heat away quickly, and use cool water with spongeing along with a fan to boost evaporative cooling. This approach speeds up cooling much more than gentler methods and buys critical time for medical care.

Warming blankets would add heat and worsen the situation, while relying on oral rehydration alone does not address the dangerous core temperature, and simply observing without intervention is insufficient.