Comparison between esophageal and intestinal temperature responses to upper-limb exercise in individuals with spinal...

Experimental study.

Individuals with spinal cord injuries (SCI) may present with impaired sympathetic control over thermoregulatory responses to environmental and exercise stressors, which can impact regional core temperature (T_core) measurement. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether regional differences in T_core responses exist during exercise in individuals with SCI.

Rehabilitation centre in Wakayama, Japan.

We recruited 12 men with motor-complete SCI (7 tetraplegia, 5 paraplegia) and 5 able-bodied controls to complete a 30-min bout of arm-cycling exercise at 50% V̇O₂ peak reserve. T_core was estimated using telemetric pills (intestinal temperature; T_int) and esophageal probes (T_eso). Heat storage was calculated from baseline to 15 and 30 min of exercise.

At 15 min of exercise, elevations in T_eso (Δ0.39 ± 0.22 °C; P < 0.05), but not T_int (Δ0.04 ± 0.18 °C; P = 0.09), were observed in able-bodied men. At 30 min of exercise, men with paraplegia and able-bodied men both exhibited increases in T_eso (paraplegia: Δ0.56 ± 0.30 °C, P < 0.05; able-bodied men: Δ0.60 ± 0.31 °C, P < 0.05) and T_int (paraplegia: Δ0.38 ± 0.33 °C, P < 0.05; able-bodied men: Δ0.30 ± 0.30 °C, P < 0.05). T_eso began rising 7.2 min earlier than T_int (pooled, P < 0.01). Heat storage estimated by T_eso was greater than heat storage estimated by T_int at 15 min (P = 0.02) and 30 min (P = 0.03) in men with paraplegia. No elevations in T_eso, T_int, or heat storage were observed in men with tetraplegia.

While not interchangeable, both T_eso and T_int are sensitive to elevations in T_core during arm-cycling exercise in men with paraplegia, although T_eso may have superior sensitivity to capture temperature information earlier during exercise.