HJBR Sep/Oct 2023

38 SEP / OCT 2023  I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE   Healthcare Briefs muscle pain or spasms; cold, pale, clammy skin; tiredness or weakness and dizziness; and headache and fainting. • If you’re experiencing these symptoms, move to a cool place and loosen your clothes, put a cool, wet cloth on your body or take a cool bath, and sip water. You should seek medical attention for heat exhaustion if you’re throwing up and/or if your symptoms last longer than one hour. • Symptoms of heat stroke can include a high body temperature; hot and red or dry or damp skin; fast, strong pulse; dizziness; nau- sea or vomiting; confusion; and fainting or loss of consciousness. • If someone is experiencing heat stroke, call 911 right away, move the person to a cooler place, loosen clothes, and cool the person quickly by wetting or applying ice to the neck, armpits, and groin areas. Do not give the person anything to drink. Ways to stay safe • Air conditioning is the strongest protection against heat-related illness. Exposure to air conditioning even for a few hours a day will reduce the risk of heat-related illness. • Drink plenty of fluids. Don’t wait until you’re thirsty. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, and sugary drinks. • Limit outdoor activity to morning and eve- ning hours. • Stay in the shade. • Check on people who live alone, especially the elderly. LDH is also offering free training for healthcare providers, public health workers and students, and outdoor workers. These programs discuss heat exposure and its impact on health. For more information on these programs, contact Alicia Van Doren, MD, at avandoren@tulane.edu Mary Bird Perkins Focuses on Increased Cancer Outreach, Screening for LGBTQ+ Community Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center recently par- ticipated in two initiatives aimed at educating the LGBTQ+ community about cancer risks and improving cancer screening rates. The Prevent Cancer Foundation, a national CIS Uses New Insertable Cardiac Monitor Robert Drennan, MD, electrophysiologist at Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS), recently implanted the Assert-IQ Insertable Car- diac Monitor, with advanced algorithms, remote programmability, and the world’s longest battery life. The procedure was performed on June 12 at Baton Rouge General Medical Center. The Assert-IQ ICM is an advanced state-of- the-art, slim Bluetooth-enabled insertable car- diac monitor (ICM) that is placed under the skin near the heart where it helps doctors monitor people’s heart rhythms long-term. Assert-IQ offers the world’s longest battery life of at least three or six years to provide doctors a new level of flexibility in diagnostic monitoring. The device is designed to remain connected to a transmitter — usually the person’s own cell phone — where it checks heart rhythms every 20 seconds, trans- mitting results automatically to the clinic’s portal. The Assert-IQ ICM also offers advanced diagnos- tic capabilities to provide physicians with more clinically relevant information about the cardio- vascular health of the patient, allowing care pro- viders to make clinical decisions faster. Overall, this innovative device by Abbott delivers clinically actionable data, clearer electrograms, and intel- ligent diagnostics all in a longer-lasting device. Irregular heartbeats, or arrhythmias, may be fleeting, making diagnosis challenging in many patients. Insertable cardiac monitors are designed to provide constant, real-time moni- toring of a person’s heart to detect and identify arrhythmias that can lead to symptoms such as frequent fainting, irregular pulse, and shortness of breath. “We are always looking for new ways to improve our ability to monitor our patients,” said Dren- nan. “The new Abbott Assert-IQ device pro- vides added diagnostics and improved battery life, allowing us to gather more information for a longer period of time.” Additionally, some models of the Assert-IQ ICM family can be remotely programmed, allowing the clinician to adjust the settings of the connected device to optimize performance and limit unnec- essary alerts or transmissions — all without requir- ing the patient to visit the clinic. LDHReleases Report on Heat- Related Illness, Hospitalizations As Louisiana begins to experience high sea- sonal temperatures, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) is reminding residents that extreme heat is dangerous and can be fatal. Extreme heat can be particularly dangerous after hurricanes. Of the 65 deaths attributed to hurricanes Delta, Zeta, Laura, and Ida, 22 were due to heat. An LDH report covering the years before those hurricanes also found that an aver- age of nearly 3,000 people in Louisiana are hos- pitalized or treated in emergency departments annually due to heat-related illness. The report, “Heat-Related Illness in Louisiana: Review of Emergency Department and Hospi- talization Data from 2010-2020,” was created to provide communities with accurate and reliable data on the impacts of extreme heat. Prepared by LDH’s Occupational Health & Injury Surveil- lance Program, the report also found disparities in heat-related illness, with men and Black residents being disproportionately affected. Men accounted for more than 80% of all cases. Heat is an occupational hazard, and men are more likely than women to work in outdoor, physically demanding occupations such as con- struction, agriculture, landscaping, and utilities. Black Louisiana residents had higher rates of hospitalizations. Parishes with the highest rates of workers with heat-related illness were clustered in North Lou- isiana. Hospitalizations also increased with age. Older adults are more likely to have chronic health conditions such as diabetes and cardio- vascular disease that put them at higher risk for heat-related illness. The report is part of a five-year, CDC program funded through 2026 that aims to protect Lou- isiana workers and communities from the dan- gers of heat through data, research, collabora- tion, and education. Symptoms of heat-related illnesses Exposure to extreme heat can lead to heat stress resulting in heat-related illness. Heat- related illness occur when the body cannot cool itself enough to maintain a normal temperature. Heat illness occurs along a spectrum; recognizing the signs is important for prevention. • Symptoms of heat exhaustion can include