Effect of Wet Clothing Removal Compared to Use of a Vapor Barrier in Accidental Hypothermia

Emergencies Clinical Trial

Official title:

Effect of Wet Clothing Removal in the Treatment of Accidental Hypothermia: A Human Crossover Field Study

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05996757
• Other study ID #: 2017/150
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: March 20, 2017
• Est. completion date: March 21, 2017

Study information

• Verified date: August 2023
• Source: Haukeland University Hospital
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The optimal method of prehospital insulation and rewarming of hypothermic patients have been subject of debate, and there is a substantial lack og high-quality evidence to guide providers.

One question concerns whether or not the patients clothing should be removed prior to being wrapped in an insulating model with a vapor barrier. Evaporative heat loss is one of four mechanisms of heat loss, and preventing evaporative heat loss should be a prioritized task for providers. Removal of wet clothing usually means subjecting the patient to the environment, but will reduce the evaporative heat loss considerably. An other alternative is to encapsulate the patient in a vapor barrier. Evaporative heat loss will stop when the humidity inside the vapor barrier reaches 100%.

We aim to investigate whether it is recommended to removed wet clothing or encase the patient in a vapor barrier.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 8
• Est. completion date: March 21, 2017
• Est. primary completion date: March 21, 2017
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age <18

• American Society of Anaesthesiologists class 1

• No nicotine use

Exclusion Criteria:

• Acute illness on study day, fever or malaise

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Accidental Hypothermia
• Emergencies
• Hypothermia

Intervention

Procedure:
• Wet clothing removal
The participants in the intervention group will have their clothing removed prior to insulation.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
Norway	Haukeland University Hospital	Bergen

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Haukeland University Hospital

Country where clinical trial is conducted

Norway, 

References & Publications (1)

Henriksson O, Lundgren PJ, Kuklane K, Holmer I, Giesbrecht GG, Naredi P, Bjornstig U. Protection against cold in prehospital care: wet clothing removal or addition of a vapor barrier. Wilderness Environ Med. 2015 Mar;26(1):11-20. doi: 10.1016/j.wem.2014.0 — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Mean skin temperature	Change in mean skin temperature during rewarming phase	60 minutes
Secondary	Subjective thermal comfort and shivering	Using a validated questionnaire at regular intervals	60 minutes