Heat stroke: implications for critical care and anaesthesia.

Heat-related illnesses, such as heat stroke, are relatively uncommon in temperate climates. Much of the clinical experience comes from Saudi Arabia (where there is an annual pilgrimage to Mecca) and the military. Case reports and review articles are not commonly seen in anaesthesiarelated journals. The intention of this article is to review the available literature on heat stroke and to discuss its relationship with other hyperthermic syndromes, such as malignant hyperthermia.