IEEM-Heat and Heart Failure

Summary

We will test the hypothesis that increasing skin wetness, and thus evaporative cooling, will attenuate the increase in core body temperature and accompanying cardiac stress during heat wave conditions in individuals with congestive heart failure. Secondly, we propose that wearing a water-saturated T-shirt will also be beneficial to attenuate the increase in core body temperature and accompanying cardiac stress during heat wave conditions in individuals with congestive heart failure. To accomplish these objectives, individuals with congestive heart failure and otherwise healthy control individuals will be exposed to the simulated heat wave condition (hot and dry) with the following cooling modalities: A) control trial (no limb immersion or skin wetting), B) skin wetting only trial, and C) water-saturated T-shirt trial in a randomized crossover fashion. Thermoregulatory and cardiovascular responses will be evaluated throughout these simulated heat wave exposures. Primary outcomes variables will be skin and core temperatures, while secondary variables will include measures of cardiovascular stress, myocardial perfusion, heart rate, and echo-based measures of cardiac function.

Eligibility

Age range

45+ years

Sex

All

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Interventions

• Other
  Control Trial

  All participants will be exposed to a period of hyperthermia (hot and dry). In this condition, participants will not be given an experimental cooling modality.

• Other
  Water-saturated T-shirt trial

  All participants will be exposed to a period of hyperthermia (hot and dry). In this condition, participants will also wear a T-shirt that has been saturated with water.

• Other
  Skin-Wetting Trial

  All participants will be exposed to a period of hyperthermia (hot and dry). In this condition, participants will also be sprayed with water periodically.

Location