Prevention
Far broader awareness of the risks of hyperthermia is needed by medical
professionals, the lay public and aquatic facility owners. This event
could have been prevented by a mother alerted to the risks presented by
an overheated hot tub, made aware by signage and by available
thermometers showing actual tub temperature. The aquatic attendant
should have been aware of both the tub temperature and the risks thus
presented, and equipped to manage adverse events. Facility management
should have made adaptations to the hot tub to avoid such risks through
appropriately covering the area to reduce solar gain, and setting the
temperature no higher than 100°F, as described in the Model Aquatic
Health Code. Facility management should also have had better oversight
of the tub vicinity than a single attendant over the entire large area.
Funding
Credits and Disclosure of Potential and Real Conflicts of Interest
No external funding was used in preparation of this manuscript. I have
no real or potential conflicts of interest.