Kolkata: A woman from California, who is now on a trip to Kolkata, suffered a heatstroke and was admitted to a private hospital last Friday. She had fallen unconscious soon after having a meal and had severe symptoms like vomiting, diarrhoea and dizziness.
The woman has recovered and was discharged from Charnock Hospital, where she had been admitted but remains on medication and has been advised not to travel for a week.
Elisabeth Karin Cochrane, a 45-year-old resident of California, USA, experienced abdominal pain and started vomiting after consuming food at her hotel during her stay in Kolkata. She told doctors that she had been feeling uncomfortable in the sweltering heat.
Her condition worsened as she began vomiting frequently which led to severe dehydration. Cochrane was rushed to Charnock Hospital, where she received immediate medical attention in the emergency. Later she was admitted and put on intra-venous saline.
“She had all the signs of a heatstroke or severe heat-induced exhaustion. The patient had also had food poisoning that hastened the loss of fluids which worsened her condition. She had been vomiting and also had diarrhoea, which led to severe dehydration. But thankfully she was brought in early and could be revived fairly quickly,” said Subhayan Bhattacharya, internal medicine specialist at Charnock.
Cochrane said she suffered from extreme dehydration and food poisoning after a having meal at her hotel. “I could hardly move, felt dizzy and fainted. Fortunately, my hotel was close to the hospital and the staff got me into an ambulance and rushed me to the emergency. Initially, I could not even sit up but I recovered within a day. I am impressed by the standard of treatment in Kolkata and some of the best doctors in USA happen to be Indians,” said the tourist.
The heatwave in Kolkata has caught scores of travellers off-guard. Even though this is not the tourist season, many keep coming to the city for treatment from neighbouring countries, including Bangladesh. A patient from Bangladesh, who had visited BP Poddar Hospital for cardiac treatment, fainted at the OPD and had to be treated for dehydration on Monday.
Extreme heat could lead to quick fluid loss or raise body temperature, triggering heatstroke. Timely medical intervention in such cases, especially during heatwaves, are important, said Bhattacharya.