Novel cooling vest with personal protective equipment alleviates heat strain without increasing metabolic demands in the heat
Issued Date
2026-01-01
Resource Type
ISSN
03553140
eISSN
1795990X
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105026154987
Pubmed ID
41247422
Journal Title
Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment and Health
Volume
52
Issue
1
Start Page
19
End Page
30
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment and Health Vol.52 No.1 (2026) , 19-30
Suggested Citation
Sainiyom P., Saengsirisuwan V., Leow C.H.W., Lee J.K.W., Surapongchai J. Novel cooling vest with personal protective equipment alleviates heat strain without increasing metabolic demands in the heat. Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment and Health Vol.52 No.1 (2026) , 19-30. 30. doi:10.5271/sjweh.4261 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/114553
Title
Novel cooling vest with personal protective equipment alleviates heat strain without increasing metabolic demands in the heat
Author's Affiliation
Corresponding Author(s)
Other Contributor(s)
Abstract
Objective Wearing medical personal protective equipment (PPE) substantially increases heat strain by elevating metabolic heat production while impairing heat dissipation. Cooling vests are a practical countermeasure, yet their efficiency depends on thermal conductivity and comfort. This study examined the thermoregulatory and perceptual responses to PPE use and evaluated the efficacy of a novel carbon-based cooling vest with enhanced heat transfer capacity. Methods A randomized crossover design was employed in which 12 participants completed 100 minutes of simulated healthcare activity in a climatic chamber (32 °C, 70% RH) under three conditions: medical scrubs (NoPPE), scrubs with PPE (PPE), and scrubs with PPE plus the cooling vest (PPE+Vest). Physiological, ther-moregulatory, and perceptual variables were continuously monitored across conditions. Results Compared with PPE alone, PPE+Vest markedly attenuated heat strain, lowering core temperature [PPE 38.4, standard deviation (SD) 0.4,<sup>0</sup>C versus PPE+Vest 37.5 (SD 0.4)<sup>0</sup>C, P=0.001] and heart rate [PPE 123 (SD 11) bpm versus PPE+Vest 107 (SD 15) bpm, P<0.001], while improving thermal sensation [PPE 2.0 (SD 0.8) versus PPE+Vest 0.8 (SD 0.8), P=0.006]. These thermoregulatory benefits occurred without an increase in metabolic energy expenditure [PPE 317 (SD 50) kcal versus PPE+Vest 317 (SD 53) kcal, P=0.891]. Conclusions The novel carbon-based cooling vest effectively suppressed heat storage by enhancing conductive heat transfer, leading to core and skin temperatures comparable to NoPPE. Importantly, despite its additional weight, the vest did not impose extra metabolic demands, offering a practical strategy to maintain thermal comfort and physiological stability during prolonged medical work in hot environments.