INUTEQ supplies cooling vests for research from Dutch Academic Hospital Radboud UMC
Cooling vests during a COVID-19 shift ensure that nurses experience less heat during their work and can therefore perform their work more pleasantly and comfortably. During their shift they wear protective clothing for three consecutive hours, under which the temperature can rise to about 36 degrees. The cooling vests offer such cooling that they are now part of the standard work clothing for nurses in the COVID nursing wards of Radboudumc.
Due to the high contagiousness of COVID-19, healthcare personnel have to work in protective but not or hardly ventilating clothing. Good protective clothing is essential in their work, but the temperature under these suits can reach 36 degrees, leading to reduced comfort. The cooling vests, actually developed for top athletes at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, were adapted and made ready for use in COVID care.
Cooling vests for top athletes
Thijs Eijsvogels, exercise physiologist and project leader of the Olympic Games project Thermo Tokyo, explains: “The top sports cooling vests were not immediately suitable for use, because they were developed for quick cooling before or after a physical exercise. COVID care is about long-term deployment, whereby the vests are worn during care activities. The vests keep cooling for a longer period.”
While the cooling vests were already in use, a study was ongoing into their effects. In this COOLVID study, conducted by TNO and Radboudumc, seventeen nurses from Radboudumc working in COVID care were followed. They were followed for two days; one day with and one day without a cooling vest. They wore the vest over their medical clothing and under the protective clothing. Among other things, the body temperature and heart rate were measured, as well as subjective measures, such as comfort and heat experience.
Less trouble from the heat during a shift
The results, now published in Temperature, show that the participants' body temperature rose slightly, but not enormously, even though the temperature under the protective clothing did. The cooling vest had little effect on body temperature. However, the heart rate was a few beats per minute lower on the days that the cooling vest was worn. But the biggest difference was in the subjective perception of the care providers. Yannick de Korte, PhD student in the physiologist department and co-researcher of the COOLVID study: “Without a cooling vest, almost 90% of nurses experience discomfort and warmth. Only 20-30% of the participants experience this with a cooling vest. The circumstances under which they have to do their work are therefore experienced as more pleasant and comfortable. Almost everyone says: I can work with a cooling vest as I normally work without protective clothing. ”
Medical Heat Stress
The COOLVID study was conducted within the Medical Heat Stress project, by TNO, as part of its brains4corona program, and Radboudumc, building on the Thermo Tokyo project. The study was funded by ZonMw. The researchers have developed an infographic for the use of the cooling vests, which is translated into 9 languages and supported by EU Horizon 2020 (HeatShield # 668786).
Cooling Vests for Healthcare Workers – Maintain Wellbeing and Performance
Countries around the globe have been hit hard as a result of changing weather patterns and global warming. This year is going to be no different – in fact, if anything, it will likely continue to get hotter and more humid with each passing year as the glaciers continue to melt away.
The healthcare industry is one where there are no breaks, and workers are rarely seen taking “off days” or going on vacation. We salute these heroes who put their own wellbeing on the line in order to serve the wellbeing and health of others.
Helping your healthcare workers stay cool in this blistering heat accompanied by fairly high humidity levels is an obligation you have. And while everyday precautionary measures like wearing the right clothing and staying adequately hydrated seem to work for the time being, they can only do so much.
In many hospitals today, not just across the Netherlands but also Asia, Europe and the Middle East, cooling vests for healthcare workers are now being extensively used. As doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals work feverishly in ICU to help treat patients of coronavirus, a practical and highly effective solution is needed to help them stay cool for several hours at a stretch.
This is important because with a well-maintained body temperature and far less sweating, healthcare professionals of all calibres can stay focused during those demanding shifts and even recover faster between shifts.
The key to performing consistently in the healthcare industry is focus, staying calm and making the right decisions – which can be easily achieved by keeping your body temperature at the right level. INUTEQ’S cooling vests can help healthcare workers beat the heat, no matter how demanding their schedules may be.
Hundreds of doctors and nurses in ICU are braving it through thick and thin in order to help save and protect lives. The protective gear they must wear can often be a precursor to heat stress and exhaustion. Our innovative cooling vests, which have been worn by competitive athletes and construction workers for many years are now being invested into by leading healthcare providers across the globe.
Help your Healthcare Workers stay cool
INUTEQ PAC is a revolutionary cooling technology that healthcare workers are now taking advantage of – something that only Olympic athletes and sportsmen were using up until a few years ago.
The bio-based PCM (Phase Change Material) comes in five different temperatures: 6.5°C, 15°C (low temperatures mainly used after injuries or as pre-post cooling for athletes), 21°C, 24°C and 29°C. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals in hospitals can experiment with different temperatures in order to suit the specific demands of the job. A nurse working with coronavirus patients in ICU, for example, may require a certain temperature to be set on the cooling vest as opposed to a healthcare worker catering to generic patients across the entire hospital.
Our innovative phase change technology offers a high latent heat – this is ideal for use in specific thermal management applications. We offer the only 100% bio-based USDA certified and REACH-registered PCM cooling vests on the market, offering healthcare workers not only cool body temperatures to help focus more and stay productive, but also other notable advantages:
- Long term stability
- Safer handling
- Improved fire safety
- High latent heat capacities
- Sourced from recyclable materials only
Healthcare providers who have used our unique PCM CoolOver featuring recyclable bio-based PCM technology have reported that their staff members have stayed comfortably cool throughout the day and night, with temperatures that felt quite natural on the skin and body.
We take great care to design each cooling vest for healthcare so as to not harm the skin in any way or expose it to undesirable effects such as tissue damage, frostbite or general discomfort.
Using the PCM cooling vest is as easy as:
Activate the PCM CoolOver is easy – Put the vest in a refrigerator, freezer or ice water. Alternatively, you can store it at 3°C lower temperature than the PCM temperature until it becomes completely solid.
Ready to use – Wear the cooling vest directly over your functional shirt and underneath your garment.
Enjoying instant and constant cooling – Put on your garment and enjoy a constant cooling effect at the desired temperature, e.g. 21°C, for up to 3 hours or more.
For instance, MS patients do like very much the Bodycool Smart for their outdoor activities. Priced at just €115.66 and offers a very natural way of cooling. Simply put regular tap water inside the cooling vest and it will start to cool your body right away. It’s a comfortable, fashionable and lightweight vest designed to help you stay cool outdoors. And the vest is 100% DRY on the in- & outside. Depending on temperature and humidity, the cooling effect can last you anywhere from 8 hours up to 3 days.
Our unique biobased PCM CoolOver is an one-size-fits-most PCM cooling vest.
This fabric-free CoolOver can easily be cleaned or sterilized which makes it also suitable for use in medical environments. The only USDA 100% biobased certificated and REACH registered PCM vest available on the market!
