Temperature
Conditions
Keywords
Core temperature, water, swim, wetsuit, cold
Brief summary
Swimming in cold water is intrinsically unsafe. One of the threats is a fall in core body temperature (Tcore), which adversely affects all body systems and increases the risk of death. Wetsuits mitigate, but do not negate this threat. Environmental conditions may confound findings from laboratory studies or computer models, thus necessitating open water studies. This study was designed to investigate the effects of open water wetsuited swimming on core body temperature at a range of different water temperatures between 8.4oC and 24.5oC.
Interventions
OTHEROpen water wetsuited swimming.
All swimmers used their own well-fitting wetsuits (5 mm maximum thickness in accordance with World Triathlon guidelines7) and were free to supplement additional neoprene hats, gloves and booties as desired. A safety paramedic attended all swims. Swim distance was self-determined
Sponsors
Oslo University Hospital
Norwegian Armed Forces Medical Service
SINTEF MiNaLab
University Hospital, Akershus
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Trained and highly trained swimmers.
Exclusion criteria
* a history of cardiovascular disease, arrhythmias, or gastrointestinal abnormalities precluding the use of rectal temperature measurement.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Core temperature | The thermistor was inserted 15 minutes prior to immersion and measured the core temperature until 30 minutes after egress from the water. | A self-inserted rectal pill was used to continuously measure core temperature in 76 open water swims by 31 wetsuited swimmers in water temperatures ranging from 8.4°C to 24.5°C. The Tcore curves were analysed by linear mixed model regression. |
Countries
Norway
Outcome results
None listed