Extreme heat overwhelms Los Angeles hospitals, straining resources

A relentless heatwave has hit California with triple-digit temperatures, overwhelming Los Angeles hospitals, and causing a significant surge in emergency room visits and admissions.

Medical professionals report that the extreme heat is mostly affecting vulnerable individuals with pre-existing conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.

A Pulmonary and Critical Care specialist, Dr. Seth Rivera said, “We are busy. We are definitely busy. The hospital is filling up much more than we usually would have for a summer census. We are definitely feeling the heat.”

He reported that most cases are of worsened kidney failure due to dehydration. Patients are also complaining of breathing problems due to a combination of extreme heat and poor air quality.

Doctors advise residents to avoid taking common medications such as blood pressure drugs and antihistamines that can reduce the body’s ability to regulate temperature and sweat, thereby increasing the risk of heat-related illness.

To survive in this heatwave, experts recommend to:

• Stay out of the sun
• Drink water after every 10-15 minutes
• Wear light-coloured clothes
• Long-sleeved with minimum exposed skin

The heatwave is marked as the worst multi-day event of the year. It also prompts the risk of wildfires across Southern California.

Various heat advisories and warnings, along with red-flag alerts, have been issued by the National Weather Service (NWS).

“This dangerous level of heat will pose a threat to anyone without effective cooling and adequate hydration,” NWS experts said in an outlook released on Wednesday, August 20, 2025.

The weather forecasters warned that temperatures can climb past 110°F (43°C) in the desert southwest and above 100°F across Southern California.