Evaluation of Various Cooling Systems After Exercise-Induced Hyperthermia

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Environmental Physiology
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Exertional heat stroke (EHS) necessitates rapid diagnosis and cooling for survival.
• Effective cooling strategies are crucial for managing exercise-induced hyperthermia.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of different cooling systems in reducing body core temperature after exercise-induced hyperthermia.
• To provide objective data for selecting optimal cooling interventions.

Main Methods:

• A crossover study involving 22 men who underwent treadmill exercise to induce hyperthermia (core temperature reaching 39.50°C).
• Four cooling conditions were tested: no cooling (CON), body-cooling unit (BCU), EMCOOLS Flex.Pad (EC), and ThermoSuit (TS).
• Cooling effectiveness was measured by the rate of decrease in body core temperature until 38.00°C or 30 minutes.

Main Results:

• The ThermoSuit (TS) demonstrated the highest cooling rate (0.16°C/min), followed by EMCOOLS Flex.Pad (EC) (0.12°C/min), body-cooling unit (BCU) (0.09°C/min), and no cooling (CON) (0.06°C/min).
• TS was significantly more effective than all other modalities.
• EC showed a greater cooling rate than CON and BCU, but EC and BCU were not clinically different.

Conclusions:

• The ThermoSuit is the most effective cooling system among those evaluated for exercise-induced hyperthermia.
• While TS offers the fastest cooling, EC and BCU present clinically comparable alternatives.
• Selection of a cooling system should integrate cooling efficacy with other practical considerations.