Extreme heat in Arizona has spiked hospitalizations to epidemic proportions at one medical center

CNN
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Phoenix hit 110 degrees again Monday, marking the 18th straight day at or above that temperature, as the Southwest grapples with a deadly, unrelenting heat wave.

The record is expected to be broken Tuesday as the streak continues, with temperatures of at least 115 degrees in the forecast for Phoenix every day through next weekend.

As scorching triple-digit temperatures persist, Maricopa County has so far reported 12 confirmed heat-related deaths and 55 suspected heat-related deaths in the first week of July this year. Information From the Maricopa County Department of Public Health. CNN has reached out to the Maricopa medical examiner for more information.

Dangerously hot temperatures also tax hospitals as people seek treatment for heat-related illnesses.

« The heat is taking a big toll, » Frank LoVecchio, an emergency room physician at Valleywise Health Medical Center, told CNN. « The hospital has not been busy overflowing since some of the peaks of the Covid epidemic. »

Heat is It ranks first among all natural disastersStudies show, and as temperatures continue to rise, scientists expect it to make even more people sick.

As residents braced for air conditioning this heat wave, Arizona Public Service utility customers’ demand on Saturday set a record for the highest single-time electricity use in the utility’s history, according to a company news release.

Phoenix has a total of 60 hydration stations, 30 cooling centers and four respite centers for those in need of heat relief, Kelly Taft, director of communications for the Maricopa Association of Governments, told CNN.

Arizona isn’t alone in the extreme heat: More than 90 million people across the U.S. are under heat advisories, including at least 50 million under heat warnings for the past 10 days.

Heat warnings for dangerously high temperatures have been in place for the Southwest from Texas to Arizona for 38 consecutive days beginning June 10.

And this streak shows no signs of ending anytime soon. The heat is expected to continue across the region until at least July 28, and overnight temperatures will provide little relief. The National Weather Service has issued a warning.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, more than 1,500 record-high temperatures have been recorded in the United States so far this month.

On Sunday alone, 35 daily high temperature records were broken, according to the weather service, with Death Valley, California, breaking its daily record with a record-breaking 128 degrees and Las Vegas with 116 degrees.

Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona; El Paso, Corpus Christi and Brownsville, Texas; And Tampa and Fort Myers, Florida, recorded their hottest July on record, according to NOAA climate data.

El Paso hit 100 degrees for the 32nd straight day, “without end,” the weather service said He tweeted that. The previous record was 1994 for 23 consecutive days of over 100 days.

« Take the heat seriously and avoid spending too much time outdoors, » the weather service said. « Temperatures and heat indices can reach levels that are health-threatening and dangerous for anyone without effective and/or adequate hydration. »

At Valleywise Health Medical Center, LoVecchio said he sees three to four cases per shift of patients who have died without emergency treatment.

A body temperature of 107 or higher can cause death or permanent brain damage. LoVecchio said it can take five to 10 minutes for these high temperatures to cause brain cell death.

Valleywise Health Medical Center Communications Director Michael Murphy told CNN that in some extreme cases, the burn center has been « slammed » with patients suffering from burns, where they put patients in body bags filled with ice to cool them down.

LoVecchio said the pavement can reach up to 180 degrees in the sun. Patients may fall on the pavement due to dehydration, heat stroke or another medical condition, he said.

« It doesn’t get cold here and the surface temperature is so ridiculous and people can get burns in seconds, » Murphy said.

In the past five years, contact burns have become a « huge problem, » Murphy said.

Maricopa County Public Health Department spokeswoman Sonia Singh said everyone is at risk for heat-related injuries, including those who have lived in Arizona their entire lives.

« It doesn’t matter how long you’ve lived in the heat, how old you are or how healthy you are, » Singh said. « It affects everyone. »

Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the status of 55 suspected heat-related deaths; They are still under investigation. It also misstated where the deaths occurred; They were in Maricopa County.