Cryotherapy Effect
Conditions
Brief summary
Exertional heat stroke (EHS) is an emergency medical condition that is prevalent in military soldiers, athletes, and laborers. It is diagnosed when the rectal temperature is above 40°C with the presence of central nervous dysfunction (altered mental status). The gold standard method of care for EHS is immediate onsite whole body cooling using cold-water immersion (cooling rates \>0.15°C•min-1), which is reported to have the highest cooling rate. In the treatment of EHS, selecting a cooling modality with a high cooling rate becomes crucial to minimize the time above the critical threshold of body temperature at 40°C to less than 30 minutes for the best chance of survival and to minimize the severity of prognosis. However, in situations where cold water immersion is not feasible (in certain military, firefighter, or other remote settings), other cooling modalities must be available that have a cooling capacity similar to that of cold-water immersion. In this proposed study, we aim to compare the cooling rates of the Polar Breeze® (developed by Polar Breeze ®, Clearwater, FL), cold-water immersion (the current gold standard for EHS treatment), and passive cooling in individuals with exercise-induced hyperthermia
Interventions
DEVICEThermal Rehabilitation Machine
The Polar Breeze unit is a microenvironmental air-chiller. That means it is a single-pass air-conditioner capable of cooling external air
OTHERCold Water Immersion
Whole-body immersion in cold water.
Sponsors
University of North Carolina, Greensboro
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
CROSSOVER
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Participants will complete three trials under three different body cooling conditions/interventions; passive cooling using the body's natural body cooling mechanisms, body cooling using cold water immersion, and cooling using the investigational thermal rehab machine.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 35 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* males and females between the ages of 18-35. * recreationally active (regularly exercise at a minimum of 4-5 times per week for greater than 30 minutes per session)
Exclusion criteria
* chronic health problems * fever or current illness at the time of testing * history of cardiovascular, metabolic, or respiratory disease * current musculoskeletal injury that limits physical activity * history of exertional heat illness in the past three years
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Internal Body Temperature | 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60 minutes post onset of cooling | The rate at which body temperature is reduced during whole body cooling following exercise-induced hyperthermia. |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed