Partial cooling of the upper body with a water-cooled vest in an environment exceeding body temperature

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of water-cooled clothing that continuously cools restricted body areas to suppress body temperature increase as an anti-heatstroke measure for workers in hot environments that exceed body temperature.

Methods: Ten healthy men were placed in Room A (air temperature: 25°C, relative humidity: 50%) for 15 min. They were then transferred to Room B (air temperature: 40°C, relative humidity: 50%), where they rested for 10 min, then put on cooling clothing, and again rested for 15 min (the control group rested for 25 min). They then performed intense ergometer exercise for 40 min at 40% maximal oxygen consumption after which they rested for 10 min. The three trial conditions were CON (long-sleeved summer work clothes), VEST (cooling vest), and P-VEST (partial cooling vest). In VEST and P-VEST, water-cooled clothing continuously recirculated with 10°C water was used to cool the upper body. In P-VEST, only the neck, axillae, and heart areas were in contact with the cooled clothing. The measured indices were the rectal, esophageal, and external auditory canal temperatures; heart rate; estimated sweat volume; and subjective evaluations.

Results: Compared with the CON condition, the rectal, esophageal, and external auditory canal temperatures and the heart rate were significantly lower and the subjective indices were decreased in the VEST and P-VEST conditions.

Conclusions: Partial cooling showed a body cooling effect similar to that of whole upper body cooling. Partial body cooling promoted the heat dissipation, suggesting that partial cooling is efficient for maintaining body cooling in hot environments.

Keywords: cooling vest; core temperature; heat strain; heat-related illness; partial cooling.