This article was originally published by AXIOS

Heat waves can gum up hospitals enough to bring deadly consequences even beyond patients directly afflicted, a new study finds.

Why it matters: It’s the first estimate of extreme heat that “unpacks the direct from the indirect effects that arise due to hospital congestion,” it states.

The big picture: The working paper released via the National Bureau of Economic Research uses Mexican health care datasets to explore mortality at different temperature ranges.

• It covers ER and hospital admissions from 2012–2019 at facilities under Mexico’s Ministry of Health.

What they found: When daily highs exceed 93.2°F, ER visits rise roughly 7.5% and admissions rise around 4% relative to the 71.6°F to 75.2°F range.

• There’s a significant rise in “excess deaths.”
• This stems partly from congestion, which leads to discharging more quickly (including to homes without AC), and thinly spread resources.

Threat level: “An extra day at which the maximum temperature exceeds 34°C leads to a 6% increase in deaths within the hospital, with over half of these due purely to congestion spillovers, and a 6% increase in deaths at home.”

Yes, but: The study — from researchers with Universidad de los Andes, UC-San Diego and Columbia — has limitations.

• Disentangling direct and indirect effects of heat exposure is tough because high temps worsen multiple conditions.

The bottom line: “Increasing capacity in the healthcare system is a novel arrow that can be added to the rather limited quiver of climate adaptation tools,” it concludes.

Full study

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