An ambulance arriving on an exertional heat stroke case faces a decision most crews rarely train for: cool on scene first, or load and transport immediately. The equipment carried on board determines which option is actually available.
Why transport-first is the wrong default
The instinct to load a critical patient and race to hospital is understandable, but for exertional heat stroke it works against the patient. Cooling only begins once the ambulance is moving, and passive methods (AC, wet towels) cool far slower than immersion. The ACSM and IOC/BJSM consensus is explicit: cool first, transport second, because the delay to reach a hospital's cooling resources typically costs more time than cooling on scene.
The core equipment gap
Most ambulances carry ice packs and cold IV fluids, both useful adjuncts but neither achieving the cooling rate of immersion. Cold IV fluids alone cannot replicate the roughly 0.35°C per minute rate documented for cold water immersion versus roughly 0.03°C per minute for passive methods. Without an immersion-capable device on board, crews are structurally limited to slower cooling regardless of training.
What an onboard immersion solution needs
For ambulance use, a cooling tub must fit realistic vehicle storage constraints, deploy without external water pressure or power, and pack down again quickly for the next call. Bulky rigid tubs solve the cooling problem but create a logistics problem that gets them left at the station.
A deployable option for prehospital crews
The Kollder emergency cooling tub folds into the Kollder Go transport bag (85×10×10cm, hybrid backpack and rolling trolley), fits standard ambulance storage, and deploys solo in under 2 minutes at the scene. Its stainless steel frame and 360° patient access support continuous monitoring during immersion. Inquiries at kollder.com/#contact.
Further Reading
- Cold Water Immersion vs Other Methods: Comparison
- Exertional Heat Stroke: Organ Consequences
- Équipement embarqué ambulance / SMUR (FR)
- Request a Kollder Quote
Sources: ACSM Expert Consensus Statement, 2023, Casa DJ et al., Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, 2007, IOC/BJSM, 2021.
Kollder is the emergency cooling tub that deploys in under 2 minutes, anywhere.
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