Semiconductor Heat Extraction Cooling

Summary

Heat-related injuries and other physiological stresses continue to be a significant threat to the health and operational effectiveness of the US Armed Forces (Armed Forces Health Surveillance 2011). This is because military personnel are exposed to exertional and environmental heat-stress factors during both deployment and training at US installations in hot and humid climates. Cold water immersion (CWI) is considered the gold standard for the treatment of exertional heat stroke (EHS) and has been shown to increase survival rates to 100% with the implementation of CWI best practices. However, in a field setting other cooling strategies have been developed to aid in the prevention of EHS and other heat-related illnesses. One such proposed strategy is a portable hand cooling device that does not require the use of ice or water. Therefore, the primary purpose of this investigation is to validate hand and back cooling devices using physiological, cognitive, performance, and perceptual responses that occur during and following rest, exercise, and cooling in the heat.

Conditions

• Hyperthermia

Interventions

OTHER

Hand Cooling at 12-15 degrees celsius

hand cooling at 12-15 degrees celsius will be performed for active cooling by having participants place their hands on the cooling device set to this temperature

OTHER

Hand Cooling at 16-20 degrees celsius

hand cooling at 16-20 degrees celsius will be performed for active cooling by having participants place their hands on the cooling device set to this temperature

OTHER

hand and back cooling at 12-15 or 16-20 degrees celsius

hand and back cooling at 12-15 or 16-20 degrees celsius will be performed for active cooling by having participants place their hands on the cooling device set to this temperature while also wearing the back wrap cooling device set to this temperature

OTHER

Passive cooling

participants will sit in a chair and "passively cool" (no active intervention)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Kelvi - Hypothermia Devices, Inc.

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• University of Connecticut

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

NONE

Model

CROSSOVER

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

45 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2021-10-04

Primary Completion

2022-01-31

Completion

2022-01-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations