Heat stroke with alpha coma. A case report

Abstract

We report the case of a near-fatal heat stroke in a 41-year-old patient. The comatose patient had a body core temperature of 41.5° C. The clinical course was complicated by systemic inflammatory response syndrome and multiorgan failure. The EEG showed an alpha coma that did not react to external stimuli and, in general, has a poor prognosis. The patient regained consciousness and was discharged from our intensive care unit after 16 days. In the further course cerebral toxoplasmosis developed which was treated with a combination therapy of sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine. The patient was transferred to a neurorehabilitation clinic with a moderate neurological deficit 65 days after heat stroke onset.