Comparison of Thermal Manikin Modeling and Human Subjects’ Response During Use of Cooling Devices Under Personal Protective Ensembles in the Heat

Abstract

Personal cooling device use in conjunction with impermeable PPE may be advantageous in mitigating physiological and perceptual burdens of heat stress. Evaluation of PCDs worn under PPE can be done effectively via human or manikin testing; however, Tsk may be over-estimated and weight loss may be under-estimated. Thermal manikin testing of PCDs may provide fast and accurate information to persons recommending or using PCDs with PPE. QuinnT, KimJH, SeoY, CocaA. Comparison of thermal manikin modeling and human subjects' response during use of cooling devices under personal protective ensembles in the heat. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(3):279-287.

Effect of the cooling clothing integrating with phase change material on the thermal comfort of healthcare workers with personal protective equipment during the COVID-19

“…In the background of consistently high global temperatures, people are required to wear different PPE depending on the specific location, such as masks in shopping malls, medical protective clothing in hospitals, and so on [ 12 ]. Using these items may cause significant physical and psychological stress to the wearer, especially for healthcare workers who are required to wear them for long periods [ 9 , 13 ].…”

Advanced materials for personal thermal and moisture management of health care workers wearing PPE

“…The small pore size and high liquid resistance of protective gowns will inevitably impair the vapor permeability and liquid transportation during a sweating period, which will pose thermal burden to HCWs. This is because normal thermoregulatory homeostasis is disrupted by impediment of the body’s heat loss to the environment [ 12 ] as a result of reduced evaporative cooling. In hot and humid environments, the risk for heat-stress-related injuries is increased greatly for HCWs who wear impermeable gown while working [ 13 ].…”

“…Until now, the most commonly used personal cooling methods for PPE system are ice/phase change material (PCM) vests [ 13 , 16 , 17 ] and liquid cooing garments [ [18] , [19] , [20] ]. Coca et al [ 12 , 13 ] compared different types of cooling methods (PCM vest, ice vest and liquid cooling garment with circulating semi-frozen water supply) in hot and humid environments (32 °C/92%RH) through both thermal manikin and human subject tests. They found that both the PCM/ice vests and liquid cooling garment can reduce physiological heat stress significantly for subjects wearing PPE.…”

Extending work tolerance time in the heat in protective ensembles with pre- and per-cooling methods

“…Strategies designed to attenuate the increased physiological strain for those working in protective ensembles in the heat include heat acclimation, adequate hydration and appropriate work-rest cycles (11,12). If available, workers may utilise cooling methods during work to increase work tolerance time and/or reduce physiological strain (13,14,(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22). Despite the apparent efficacy of cooling interventions in alleviating thermal strain, the external validity of current evidence is debatable.…”