Impact of the 2009 M elbourne heatwave on a major public hospital

In the week following the onset of the 2009 heatwave in M elbourne, A ustralia, The A lfred H ospital observed a significant increase in total hospital admissions (adjusted incidence rate ratio ( IRR ) 1.11, P = 0.046), emergency department presentations ( IRR 1.15, P < 0.01) and general medical admissions ( IRR 1.81, P < 0.01). Under the general medical unit there was a rise in the number of deaths ( IRR 3.9, P < 0.01), and patients with a broad range of disorders, particularly of the endocrine/metabolic ( IRR 2.2, P < 0.01), circulatory ( IRR 1.9, P < 0.01) and genitourinary ( IRR 2.6, P < 0.01) systems.