Personal protective equipment in the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of cooling-wear as alleviator of thermal stress
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Wien Klin Wochenschr https://doi.org/10.1007/s00508-020-01775-x
Personal protective equipment in the COVID-19 pandemic and the use of cooling-wear as alleviator of thermal stress A pilot study in plastic surgery staff members Hanna Luze · Sebastian P. Nischwitz · Petra Kotzbeck · Julia Fink · Judith C. J. Holzer · Daniel Popp · LarsPeter Kamolz Received: 17 August 2020 / Accepted: 12 November 2020 © The Author(s) 2020
Summary Background High temperatures at workplaces lead to health-related risks and premature exhaustion. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic requires many health professionals to perform under unfavorable conditions. Personal protective equipment (PPE) causes thermal stress and negatively affects performance. Patients, materials and methods This pilot project investigated the effects of PPE and additional cooling wear on physiological parameters and concentration of six healthy staff members of the Plastic Surgery Department of the Medical University of Graz, Austria during simulated patient care. In this study two 1-hour cycles with patient care-related tasks with PPE and PPE + cooling-wear, respectively, were conducted. A third cycle with scrubs exclusively served as baseline/negative control. The assessment occurred immediately pre-cycles and post-cycles. Results Pre-cycle assessments showed no significant differences between the cycles. After PPE cycle, increased physical stress levels and decrements in conAll data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article (and its supplementary information files). H. Luze, MD () · S. P. Nischwitz, MD · P. Kotzbeck, PhD, MSc · J. Fink, MSc · J. C. J. Holzer, MD · L.-P. Kamolz, MD, PhD, MSc JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH, COREMED—Cooperative Centre for Regenerative Medicine, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 2, 8010 Graz, Austria [email protected] H. Luze, MD · S. P. Nischwitz, MD · P. Kotzbeck, PhD, MSc · J. C. J. Holzer, MD · D. Popp, MD · L.-P. Kamolz, MD, PhD, MSc Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic, Aesthetic and Reconstructive Surgery, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
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centration capacity were observed. Physiological parameters were significantly less affected in the cooling cycle, while concentration capacity slightly increased. Conclusion COVID-19 PPE causes considerable thermal stress, ultimately affecting human performance. As opportunity to withstand thermal stress, and improve patients’ and professionals’ safety, cooling-wear can be considered relevant. Medical personnel performing in exceptional situations may particularly benefit from further development and investigation of cooling strategies. Keywords Thermal stress · Cooling wear · COVID19 · PPE · Concentration
Introduction Several professions require the performance in hightemperature scenarios leading to physical stress, ultimately affecting human performance [1]. For instance, medical personnel in the care of patients suffering from potentially dangerous and infectious diseases need to use personal protective equip
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