CREVE COEUR, Mo. — Healthcare workers are currently treating more heat-related illnesses. But they say most people are listening to the warnings.
"Most of the things we're seeing is mild heat exhaustion [when] people get a little overheated and give them some [water] to cool down. Nothing too extreme right now," Dr. John Fortney, attending physician for Mercy Hospital St. Louis' emergency department, said.
When cases are extreme, Fortney said patients require IV fluids, which prevent and treat dehydration.
He added that while he can't pinpoint an exact number of cases this week, cases have all been mild, which requires old school cooling tactics.
"We typically cool people down [by] spraying them with water and fans. That causes the heat evaporation of the water off the skin and that cools the body down [relatively] quickly. Then we backtrack if there's any health issues like a heart attack, stroke or medications that caused [heat exhausation]," Fortney said.
Fortney said he believes people are hyper-aware because of the extended grip heat has had on the city, resulting in low cases of heat-related illness.
"When it's going on for multiple days, I think people are more in tune with the precautions they need to take, not doing things outside, minimizing activities and drinking plenty of fluids. I think when there's one day of heat people tend to be a little more careless," Fortney said.
As St. Louis continues to heat up, Mercy Hospital wants people to listen to their bodies for the signs of heat-related illnesses. Some signs of heat-related illness include heat cramps, fainting, and oftentimes no sweat.