Echocardiographic and Doppler study of patients with heatstroke and heat exhaustion

This is a two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiographic study of the hemody namic changes in patients with heatstroke and heat exhaustion. It demonstra tes that the hemodynamic changes in severe heat exposure reflect a hyperdyn amic circulation with tachycardia and high cardiac output states. Relative hypovolemia was more pronounced in patients with heatstroke compared to pat ients with heat exhaustion. Signs of peripheral vasoconstriction were more often present in patients with heatstroke, while patients with heat exhaust ion more often demonstrated peripheral vasodilatation.