Living and working in Phoenix, critical care physician Nehan Sher, MD, is familiar with the challenges of caring for patients affected by extreme heat, including those who develop life-threatening heatstroke. But as the climate warms, heat waves are becoming more intense and heat-related mortality has increased around the world.
“People often associate heatstroke with places like Arizona and the desert Southwest, but the risk is not limited to these areas,” said Dr. Sher, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix. “As extreme heat becomes more frequent and prolonged in many regions, clinicians across the country need to be prepared to recognize severe heat-related illness, cool patients rapidly, and manage potentially life-threatening complications of heatstroke.”
To address this growing clinical and public health challenge, Dr. Sher will chair the CHEST 2026 session Heatstroke in a Hotter World: ICU Management, Prevention, and Future Directions at 1:30 pm MST on Monday, October 19, in the Phoenix Convention Center, West Building, Room 105C.
Abdul Ahad Khan, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Phoenix, will open the session by reviewing the pathophysiology of heat-related illness, including the important differences between classic and exertional heatstroke. He will also discuss how heatstroke can trigger systemic inflammation, cellular injury, and multiorgan dysfunction.
Dr. Sher will review evidence-based cooling strategies in the prehospital and hospital settings, with a focus on the rapid reduction of core body temperature—a central priority in the treatment of heatstroke.
Akram Khan, MD, FCCP, Professor of Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University, will discuss the fluid, pharmacologic, and complication management of severe heatstroke, including approaches to disseminated intravascular coagulation, rhabdomyolysis, acute kidney injury, hepatic injury, and burns.
Freya Spielberg, MD, MPH, Clinical Professor of Family, Community, and Preventive Medicine at the University of Phoenix College of Medicine, will close the session by examining prevention strategies in community and occupational settings, as well as novel approaches to reducing heat-related risk. Dr. Spielberg also co-leads the University of Arizona’s Heat and Health Resilience Innovation Consortium, which brings together clinical education, community partnerships, health systems, and emerging technologies to address the health effects of extreme heat.
Dr. Sher said the goal of the session is for attendees to leave having learned practical strategies they can immediately apply at the bedside while also thinking more broadly about preparedness and prevention.
“Here in the Southwest, we have substantial experience caring for patients during periods of extreme heat, but this is increasingly relevant to clinicians everywhere,” Dr. Sher said. “During major heat events, emergency departments can see sharp increases in heat-related illness, and the sickest patients can progress rapidly to multiorgan failure.
“We want clinicians to leave this session prepared to recognize heatstroke early, cool patients rapidly, manage its complications, and think beyond the individual patient toward prevention and health system preparedness.”
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