Shawnda A Morrison1, Jurij Gorjanc2, Ola Eiken3, Igor B Mekjavic4. 1. Environmental Physiology and Ergonomics Laboratory, Department of Automation, Biocybernetics and Robotics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia (Drs Morrison and Mekjavic). Electronic address: shawnda.morrison@zrs.upr.si. 2. Department of Surgery, Hospital of the Brothers of St. John of God, St.Veit/Glan, Austria (Dr Gorjanc). 3. Department of Environmental Physiology, School of Technology and Health, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden (Dr Eiken). 4. Environmental Physiology and Ergonomics Laboratory, Department of Automation, Biocybernetics and Robotics, Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia (Drs Morrison and Mekjavic).
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether previous freezing cold injuries (FCI) would affect digit skin temperatures and rewarming rates during a follow-up cold stress test protocol. DESIGN: Nonrandomized control trial. METHODS: Twenty elite alpinists participated; alpinists with previous FCI requiring digit amputations (injured, INJ: n = 10 total, n = 8 male) were compared with ability-matched, uninjured alpinists (control, CON: n = 10, all male). Digit skin temperature was measured using infrared thermography as an index of peripheral digit perfusion after a cold stress test, which consisted of 30 minutes of immersion in 8°C water. RESULTS: The INJ alpinists' injured toes were warmer (approximately 6%) than their uninjured toes immediately after cold immersion (95% CI, 0.01°C to 1.00°C; P = .05); there were no differences between the rates of rewarming of injured and uninjured toes (INJ, 0.5° ± 0.1°C/min; CON, 0.7° ± 0.3°C/min; P = .16). Although the INJ alpinists had colder injured fingers immediately after the 35°C warm bath compared with their own uninjured fingers (32.2° ± 2.0°C vs 34.5° ± 0.5°C; P = .02), there were no differences observed between the rates of rewarming of injured and uninjured fingers after cold exposure (INJ, 1.1° ± 0.2°C/min; CON, 1.3° ± 0.5°C/min; P = .22). CONCLUSIONS: Even after FCI that requires digit amputation, there is no evidence of different tissue rates of rewarming between the injured and uninjured fingers or toes of elite alpinists.
OBJECTIVE: To assess whether previous freezing cold injuries (FCI) would affect digit skin temperatures and rewarming rates during a follow-up cold stress test protocol. DESIGN: Nonrandomized control trial. METHODS: Twenty elite alpinists participated; alpinists with previous FCI requiring digit amputations (injured, INJ: n = 10 total, n = 8 male) were compared with ability-matched, uninjured alpinists (control, CON: n = 10, all male). Digit skin temperature was measured using infrared thermography as an index of peripheral digit perfusion after a cold stress test, which consisted of 30 minutes of immersion in 8°C water. RESULTS: The INJ alpinists' injured toes were warmer (approximately 6%) than their uninjured toes immediately after cold immersion (95% CI, 0.01°C to 1.00°C; P = .05); there were no differences between the rates of rewarming of injured and uninjured toes (INJ, 0.5° ± 0.1°C/min; CON, 0.7° ± 0.3°C/min; P = .16). Although the INJ alpinists had colder injured fingers immediately after the 35°C warm bath compared with their own uninjured fingers (32.2° ± 2.0°C vs 34.5° ± 0.5°C; P = .02), there were no differences observed between the rates of rewarming of injured and uninjured fingers after cold exposure (INJ, 1.1° ± 0.2°C/min; CON, 1.3° ± 0.5°C/min; P = .22). CONCLUSIONS: Even after FCI that requires digit amputation, there is no evidence of different tissue rates of rewarming between the injured and uninjured fingers or toes of elite alpinists.
Authors: François Haman; Sara C S Souza; John W Castellani; Maria-P Dupuis; Karl E Friedl; Wendy Sullivan-Kwantes; Boris R M Kingma Journal: Temperature (Austin) Date: 2022-05-29
Authors: Lena Norrbrand; Roger Kölegård; Michail E Keramidas; Igor B Mekjavic; Ola Eiken Journal: Eur J Appl Physiol Date: 2017-04-18 Impact factor: 3.078