A Low-Cost, Easy-to-Assemble Device to Prevent Infant Hyperthermia under Conditions of High Thermal Stress
| Autor: | Ramon Farré, Miguel A. Rodríguez-Lázaro, Anh Tuan Dinh-Xuan, Martí Pons-Odena, Daniel Navajas, David Gozal |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Hot Temperature
Febre en els infants Health Toxicology and Mutagenesis Fever in children Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health heat index Humidity air conditioning Hyperthermia Induced High temperatures Heat Stress Disorders low-cost refrigeration hyperthermia heat shock Article heatwave low-middle income countries negative heat transfer high ambient temperature Altes temperatures Humans Medicine |
| Zdroj: | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol 18, Iss 13382, p 13382 (2021) International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Dipòsit Digital de la UB Universidad de Barcelona International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health; Volume 18; Issue 24; Pages: 13382 |
| ISSN: | 1661-7827 1660-4601 |
| Popis: | High ambient temperature and humidity greatly increase the risk of hyperthermia and mortality, particularly in infants, who are especially prone to dehydration. World areas at high risk of heat stress include many of the low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) where most of their inhabitants have no access to air conditioning. This study aimed to design, evaluate, and test a novel low-cost and easy-to-assemble device aimed at preventing the risk of infant hyperthermia in LMICs. The device is based on optimizing negative heat transfer from a small amount of ice and transferring it directly to the infant by airflow of refrigerated air. As a proof of concept, a device was assembled mainly using recycled materials, and its performance was assessed under laboratory-controlled conditions in a climatic chamber mimicking realistic stress conditions of high temperature and humidity. The device, which can be assembled by any layperson using easily available materials, provided sufficient refrigerating capacity for several hours from just 1–2 kg of ice obtained from a domestic freezer. Thus, application of this novel device may serve to attenuate the adverse effects of heat stress in infants, particularly in the context of the evolving climatic change trends. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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