TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2015//
TI  - Protection against cold in prehospital care: wet clothing removal or addition of a vapor barrier
JO  - Wilderness and environmental medicine
A1  - Henriksson, Otto
A1  - Lundgren, Peter J.
A1  - Kuklane, Kalev
A1  - Holmer, Ingvar
A1  - Giesbrecht, Gordon G.
A1  - Naredi, Peter
A1  - Bjornstig, Ulf
SP  - 11
EP  - 20
VL  - 26
IS  - 1
N2  - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of wet clothing removal or the addition of a vapor barrier in shivering subjects exposed to a cold environment with only limited insulation available. <br><br>METHODS: Volunteer subjects (n = 8) wearing wet clothing were positioned on a spineboard in a climatic chamber (-18.5°C) and subjected to an initial 20 minutes of cooling followed by 30 minutes of 4 different insulation interventions in a crossover design: 1) 1 woolen blanket; 2) vapor barrier plus 1 woolen blanket; 3) wet clothing removal plus 1 woolen blanket; or 4) 2 woolen blankets. Metabolic rate, core body temperature, skin temperature, and heart rate were continuously monitored, and cold discomfort was evaluated at 5-minute intervals. <br><br>RESULTS: Wet clothing removal or the addition of a vapor barrier significantly reduced metabolic rate (mean difference ± SE; 14 ± 4.7 W/m(2)) and increased skin temperature rewarming (1.0° ± 0.2°C). Increasing the insulation rendered a similar effect. There were, however, no significant differences in core body temperature or heart rate among any of the conditions. Cold discomfort (median; interquartile range) was significantly lower with the addition of a vapor barrier (4; 2-4.75) and with 2 woolen blankets (3.5; 1.5-4) compared with 1 woolen blanket alone (5; 3.25-6). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: In protracted rescue scenarios in cold environments with only limited insulation available, wet clothing removal or the use of a vapor barrier is advocated to limit the need for shivering thermogenesis and improve the patient's condition on admission to the emergency department.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1080-6032
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wem.2014.07.001
ID  - ref1
ER  -