Finger- and toe-temperature responses to local cooling and rewarming have limited predictive value identifying susceptibility to local cold injury-a cohort study in military cadets.

Abstract

The purpose was to evaluate whether a cold-water immersion test could be used to identify individuals susceptible to local cold injuries (LCI). Sixty-five healthy non-injured (N-I) subjects, and fifteen subjects, who were tested either prior to or after a LCI, sequentially immersed one hand and one foot, in 8 °C water for 30 min (CWI phase); this was followed by 15 min of spontaneous rewarming (RW phase). The LCI group showed a lower toe temperature during the CWI phase, and a lower maximum RW temperature of the fingers than the N-I group. However, digit temperatures during the CWI and RW phases exhibited low predictive values for LCI, e.g. results implied that to identify 80% of the LCI subjects, 34-78% of the N-I subjects would also be excluded. Thus, the results suggest that, in practice, hand or foot cold-water immersion tests cannot be used to identify individuals at high risk of LCI.

• Authors: Lena Norrbrand, Roger Kölegård, Michail E Keramidas, Igor B Mekjavic, Ola Eiken
• Journal: Applied ergonomics (Appl Ergon) Vol. 82 Pg. 102964 (Jan 2020) ISSN: 1872-9126 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 31604187 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Topics

• Cold Injury (diagnosis, prevention & control)
• Cold Temperature
• Female
• Fingers (blood supply)
• Humans
• Immersion
• Male
• Military Personnel
• Predictive Value of Tests
• Protective Clothing
• Rewarming
• Risk Factors
• Skin Temperature
• Sweden
• Toes (blood supply)
• Young Adult