Simulation of Consecutive Day Shift Work

University at Buffalo (UB)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Hyperthermia; Fatigue; Heat

Treatments: Other: 2 days of work heat stress

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04625634

STUDY00003948

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to determine differences in physiological recovery between two consecutive days of simulated fire suppression work. The secondary purpose is to determine differences in heat gain and heat loss between two consecutive days of simulated fire suppression work. Subjects will complete two consecutive days of simulated structural firefighting shift work, 24 hours apart. Before and after each laboratory visit, subjects will continuously wear a Holter monitor and ambulatory blood pressure monitor to quantify parasympathetic tone and recovery from work.

Enrollment: 23 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 39 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• 18-39 y old men and women
• Self-reported to be healthy

Exclusion criteria

• History of any cardiovascular, neurologic, renal, or metabolic disease
• Current tobacco use or regular use within the last 2 years
• Taking medications with known thermoregulatory or cardiovascular effects (e.g., aspirin, acetaminophen, ibuprofen, beta blockers, diuretics, psychotropics, etc.)
• History of exertional heat stroke
• Currently pregnant or breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant during the study
• Inability to follow the rules of the protocols or understand the consent form
• No contraindications for ingestion of the gastrointestinal temperature pill

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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23 participants in 1 patient group

Consecutive work

Experimental group

Description:

Subjects will complete 2 consecutive days of simulated firefighting tasks in the heat. The simulated work consists of 20 minutes of simulated structural work in a hot environment, followed by 20 minutes of seated rest in a temperate room, mimicking a typical recovery period in structural firefighting. Subjects then re-enter the environmental chamber and complete 23 minutes of simulated overhaul work in a temperate environment.

Treatment:

Other: 2 days of work heat stress