TY - JOUR

T1 - Thermoregulatory responses with size-matched simulated torso or limb skin grafts

AU - Cramer, Matthew N

AU - Huang, M U

AU - Fischer, Mads

AU - Moralez, Gilbert

AU - Crandall, Craig G

N1 - Copyright © 2021 American College of Sports Medicine.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

N2 - Skin grafting following a burn injury attenuates/abolishes sweat production within grafted areas. It is presently unknown whether the thermoregulatory consequences of skin grafting depend on anatomical location.Purpose: To test the hypothesis that a simulated burn injury on the torso will be no more or less detrimental to core temperature control than on the limbs during uncompensable exercise-heat stress.Methods: Nine non-burned individuals (7 males, 2 females) completed the protocol. On separate occasions, burn injuries of identical surface area (0.45 ± 0.08 m2 or 24.4% ± 4.4% of total body surface area) were simulated on the torso or the arms/legs using an absorbent, vapor-impermeable material that impedes sweat evaporation in those regions. Participants performed 60 min of treadmill walking at 5.3 km·h-1 and a 4.1% ± 0.8% grade, targeting 6 W·kg-1 of metabolic heat production in 40.1°C ± 0.2°C and 19.6% ± 0.6% relative humidity conditions. Rectal temperature, heart rate, and perceptual responses were measured.Results: Rectal temperature increased to a similar extent with simulated injuries on the torso and limbs (condition-by-time interaction: P = 0.86), with a final rectal temperature 0.9 ± 0.3°C above baseline in both conditions. No differences in heart rate, perceived exertion, or thermal sensation were observed between conditions (condition-by-time interactions: P ≥ 0.50).Conclusion: During uncompensable exercise-heat stress, sized-matched simulated burn injuries on the torso or limbs evoke comparable core temperature, heart rate, and perceptual responses, suggesting that the risk of exertional heat illness in such environmental conditions is independent of injury location.

AB - Skin grafting following a burn injury attenuates/abolishes sweat production within grafted areas. It is presently unknown whether the thermoregulatory consequences of skin grafting depend on anatomical location.Purpose: To test the hypothesis that a simulated burn injury on the torso will be no more or less detrimental to core temperature control than on the limbs during uncompensable exercise-heat stress.Methods: Nine non-burned individuals (7 males, 2 females) completed the protocol. On separate occasions, burn injuries of identical surface area (0.45 ± 0.08 m2 or 24.4% ± 4.4% of total body surface area) were simulated on the torso or the arms/legs using an absorbent, vapor-impermeable material that impedes sweat evaporation in those regions. Participants performed 60 min of treadmill walking at 5.3 km·h-1 and a 4.1% ± 0.8% grade, targeting 6 W·kg-1 of metabolic heat production in 40.1°C ± 0.2°C and 19.6% ± 0.6% relative humidity conditions. Rectal temperature, heart rate, and perceptual responses were measured.Results: Rectal temperature increased to a similar extent with simulated injuries on the torso and limbs (condition-by-time interaction: P = 0.86), with a final rectal temperature 0.9 ± 0.3°C above baseline in both conditions. No differences in heart rate, perceived exertion, or thermal sensation were observed between conditions (condition-by-time interactions: P ≥ 0.50).Conclusion: During uncompensable exercise-heat stress, sized-matched simulated burn injuries on the torso or limbs evoke comparable core temperature, heart rate, and perceptual responses, suggesting that the risk of exertional heat illness in such environmental conditions is independent of injury location.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - Sweat rate

KW - Core temperature

KW - Heat stress

KW - Burn survivor

KW - Burn injury

U2 - 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002694

DO - 10.1249/MSS.0000000000002694

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 33935232

VL - 53

SP - 2190

EP - 2195

JO - Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise

JF - Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise

SN - 0195-9131

IS - 10

ER -