Almost 1 in 5 U.K. hospitals were forced to shut down surgeries for three days during the record July 2022 heat wave, according to a research letter published in the British Journal of Surgery.
According to the research letter, a survey was conducted with 271 responding surgeons, anesthetists, and critical care doctors at 140 hospitals that worked during the height of the heat wave July 16-19, when temperatures climbed to more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
The researchers found the respondents reporting that the extreme heat caused the cancellations of surgeries in almost 1 in 5 of the surveyed hospitals, with another 96 reporting that cancellations of at least some procedures were anticipated.
Respondents reported that factors including staff shortages [35.8%], an "unsafe theater environment" [30.3%], and bed shortages [22.1%] caused the cancellations.
"Extreme weather events resulting from climate change could present an increasing challenge to health care systems," the authors said in the letter. "Surges in injuries and cardiorespiratory complications during heat waves could reduce capacity to deliver elective care."
The BBC reported at the time that the record heat wave caused road surfaces to warp, as well as power interruptions and wildfires to burn throughout the country.
Rail services were also disrupted by the heat with rails buckling and overhead electric lines failing.
At least five people died in water-related incidents during two of the days, the report said.
Officials put out a "Red Warning" for the first time, indicating a threat to life in an area stretching between London, Manchester, and York.
Servers were disrupted at two London hospitals, Guy's and St. Thomas', according to the BBC.
The survey found that surgical services were not prepared for the emergency, with 41% of operating theater temperatures unable to be controlled and 85% of the hospitals lacking a plan to maintain operations in such conditions.
Respondents reported that 35.4% of the hospitals made adaptations to be able to continue "routine surgical activity" during the emergency by doing things like delaying the discharge of high-risk patients, changing surgery teams, picking lower-risk cases for surgeries, and restricting surgeries to only days.
"These data demonstrate that even short heat waves may result in widespread disruption to surgical services," the letter said. "As hospitals tackle post-COVID surgery backlogs, they must consider how to safeguard against further climate change-related disruption to the delivery of surgical services. This should be included in the preparation of summer pressure plans to improve the resilience of elective surgery services."
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