Biochemical recovery from exertional heat stroke follows a 16-day time course

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to characterize the time-resolved progression of clinical laboratory disturbances days-following an exertional heat stroke (EHS). Currently, normalization of organ injury clinical biomarker values is the primary indicator of EHS recovery. However, an archetypical biochemical recovery profile following EHS has not been established. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of EHS patient records in US military personnel from 2008–2014 using the Military Health System Data Repository (MDR). We focused on commonly reported clinical laboratory analytes measured on the day of injury and all proceeding follow-up visits. RESULTS: Over the prescribed period, there were 2,529 EHS episodes treated at 250 unique treatment locations. Laboratory results, including a standardized set of blood, serum and urine assays, were analyzed from 0–340 days following the initial injury. Indicators of acute kidney injury, including serum electrolyte disturbances and abnormal urinalysis findings, were most prevalent on the day of the injury but normalized within 24-48hours (creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, and blood and protein in urine). Muscle damage and liver function-associated markers peaked 0–4 days after injury and persisted outside their respective reference ranges for 2–16 days (alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatine phosphokinase, myoglobin, prothrombin time). CONCLUSION: Biochemical recovery from EHS spans a 16-day time course, and markers of end-organ damage exhibit distinct patterns over this period. This analysis underscores the prognostic value of each clinical laboratory analyte and will assist in evaluating EHS patient presentation, injury severity and physiological recovery.