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Physiologic Responses Produced by Active and Passive Personal Cooling VestsPersonal thermoregulatory systems which provide chest cooling are used in the industrial and aerospace environments to alleviate thermal stress. However, little information is available regarding the physiologic and circulatory changes produced by routine operation of these systems. The objectives of this study were to document and compare the subjects' response to three cooling vests in their recommended configurations. The Life Enhancement Tech (LET) lightweight active cooling vest with cap, the MicroClimate Systems Change of Phase garment (MCS), and the Steele Vest were each used to cool the chest regions of 12 male and 8 female Healthy subjects (21 to 69 yr.) in this study. The subjects, seated in an upright position at normal room temperature (approx. 22 C), were tested for 60 min. with one of the cooling garments. The LET active garment had an initial coolant fluid inlet temperature of 60 F, and was ramped down to 50 F. Oral, right and left ear canal temperatures were logged manually every 5 min. Arm, leg, chest and rectal temperatures; heart rate; and respiration were recorded continuously on a U.F.I., Inc. Biolog ambulatory monitor. For men, all three vests had similar, significant cooling effects. Decreases in the average rectal temperature, oral temperature, and ear canal temperatures were approximately 0.2 C, 0.2 C and 0.1 C, respectively. In contrast to the men, the female subjects wearing the MCS and Steel vests had similar cooling responses in which the core temperature remained elevated and oral and ear canal temperatures did not drop. The LET active garment cooled most of the female subjects in this study; rectal, oral and ear temperature decreased about 0.2 C, 0.3 C and 0.3 C, respectively. These results show that the garment configurations tested do not elicit a similar thermal response in all subjects. A gender difference is evident. The LET active garment configuration was most effective in decreasing temperatures of the female subjects; the MCS vest was least effective. For male subjects, the three vests appear to be more nearly equivalent. The active garment system under study included a cooling cap, which may account for some of the difference in response.
Document ID
20010114904
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Ku, Yu-Tsuan E.
(Lockheed Martin Engineering and Sciences Co. Moffett Field, CA United States)
Lee, Hank C.
(Lockheed Martin Engineering and Sciences Co. United States)
Montgomery, Leslie D.
(Lockheed Martin Engineering and Sciences Co. United States)
Luna, Bernadette
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Date Acquired
August 20, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2000
Subject Category
Man/System Technology And Life Support
Meeting Information
Meeting: AsMA Annual Scientific Meeting
Location: Reno, NV
Country: United States
Start Date: May 6, 2001
End Date: May 10, 2001
Sponsors: Aerospace Medical Association
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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