ACSM Expert Consensus Statement on Exertional Heat Illness: Recognition, Management, and Return to Activity
Roberts WO, Armstrong LE, Sawka MN, Yeargin SW, Heled Y, O’Connor FG. Curr Sports Med Rep. 2021 Sep 1;20(9):470-484. doi: 10.1249/JSR.0000000000000878. PMID: 34524191.
“This American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) consensus statement replaces the position statement published in 2007…and focuses on exertional heat exhaustion (EHE), exertional heat injury (EHI), and [exertional heat stroke] EHS.” The authors identified “strategies to reduce morbidity and mortality of exertional heat illness, including introducing a staged return to activity (RTA) for athletes recovering from an EHS event.” The document includes sections that discuss how to 1) define exertional heat illness, 2) manage exertional heat illness, 3) safely return to activity, and 4) reduce someone’s risk of serious exertional heat illness.
There is also an updated version in 2023, but how these two are related is unclear.