Keeping Cool

2021 ◽  
pp. 316-341
Author(s):  
Graham Mitchell

Measurement of giraffe body temperature has shown that it is ~38.5oC but it can vary by ~5oC over the course of a day. Body heat is derived from fermentation of browse, other metabolic processes and radiant heat. Heat loss mechanisms partly depend on body surface area. Despite their unusual shape the body surface area of giraffes is similar to that in other equivalent body mass mammals: a shorter trunk is offset by a longer neck and legs. Heat loss by radiation is constant, by conduction rare and minimal. Their long, slender legs and neck are an advantage for convective and evaporative heat loss from the skin: heat transfer is inversely proportional to the square root of diameter. Evaporation from the respiratory system occurs through the nasal mucosa, the surface area of which in giraffes is large. Cooling of the nasal mucosa and blood follows and cool blood drains in to the jugular vein and contributes to whole body cooling and cooling of the blood supplying the brain by heat exchange in the carotid rete. Similar heat exchange may occur across the surface of the ossicones. Behavior changes when ambient temperature exceeds skin temperature. Giraffes re-orientate their bodies to minimize radiant heat gain and seek shade. A unique arrangement of blood vessels supplying blood to skin patches allows patches to act as thermal windows through which heat can be lost an arrangement enhanced by evaporation: sweat gland density in the skin of patches is greater than it is elsewhere.

2015 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill M. Stapleton ◽  
Martin P. Poirier ◽  
Andreas D. Flouris ◽  
Pierre Boulay ◽  
Ronald J. Sigal ◽  
...  

Aging is associated with an attenuated physiological ability to dissipate heat. However, it remains unclear if age-related impairments in heat dissipation only occur above a certain level of heat stress and whether this response is altered by aerobic fitness. Therefore, we examined changes in whole body evaporative heat loss (HE) as determined using whole body direct calorimetry in young ( n = 10; 21 ± 1 yr), untrained middle-aged ( n = 10; 48 ± 5 yr), and older ( n = 10; 65 ± 3 yr) males matched for body surface area. We also studied a group of trained middle-aged males ( n = 10; 49 ± 5 yr) matched for body surface area with all groups and for aerobic fitness with the young group. Participants performed intermittent aerobic exercise (30-min exercise bouts separated by 15-min rest) in the heat (40°C and 15% relative humidity) at progressively greater fixed rates of heat production equal to 300 (Ex1), 400 (Ex2), and 500 (Ex3) W. Results showed that HE was significantly lower in middle-aged untrained (Ex2: 426 ± 34; and Ex3: 497 ± 17 W) and older (Ex2: 424 ± 38; and Ex3: 485 ± 44 W) compared with young (Ex2: 472 ± 42; and Ex3: 558 ± 51 W) and middle-aged trained (474 ± 21; Ex3: 552 ± 23 W) males at the end of Ex2 and Ex3 ( P < 0.05). No differences among groups were observed during recovery. We conclude that impairments in HE in older and middle-aged untrained males occur at exercise-induced heat loads of ≥400 W when performed in a hot environment. These impairments in untrained middle-aged males can be minimized through regular aerobic exercise training.


1996 ◽  
Vol 76 (05) ◽  
pp. 682-688 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jos P J Wester ◽  
Harold W de Valk ◽  
Karel H Nieuwenhuis ◽  
Catherine B Brouwer ◽  
Yolanda van der Graaf ◽  
...  

Summary Objective: Identification of risk factors for bleeding and prospective evaluation of two bleeding risk scores in the treatment of acute venous thromboembolism. Design: Secondary analysis of a prospective, randomized, assessor-blind, multicenter clinical trial. Setting: One university and 2 regional teaching hospitals. Patients: 188 patients treated with heparin or danaparoid for acute venous thromboembolism. Measurements: The presenting clinical features, the doses of the drugs, and the anticoagulant responses were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis in order to evaluate prognostic factors for bleeding. In addition, the recently developed Utrecht bleeding risk score and Landefeld bleeding risk index were evaluated prospectively. Results: Major bleeding occurred in 4 patients (2.1%) and minor bleeding in 101 patients (53.7%). For all (major and minor combined) bleeding, body surface area ≤2 m2 (odds ratio 2.3, 95% Cl 1.2-4.4; p = 0.01), and malignancy (odds ratio 2.4, 95% Cl 1.1-4.9; p = 0.02) were confirmed to be independent risk factors. An increased treatment-related risk of bleeding was observed in patients treated with high doses of heparin, independent of the concomitant activated partial thromboplastin time ratios. Both bleeding risk scores had low diagnostic value for bleeding in this sample of mainly minor bleeders. Conclusions: A small body surface area and malignancy were associated with a higher frequency of bleeding. The bleeding risk scores merely offer the clinician a general estimation of the risk of bleeding. In patients with a small body surface area or in patients with malignancy, it may be of interest to study whether limited dose reduction of the anticoagulant drug may cause less bleeding without affecting efficacy.


Author(s):  
Shirazu I. ◽  
Theophilus. A. Sackey ◽  
Elvis K. Tiburu ◽  
Mensah Y. B. ◽  
Forson A.

The relationship between body height and body weight has been described by using various terms. Notable among them is the body mass index, body surface area, body shape index and body surface index. In clinical setting the first descriptive parameter is the BMI scale, which provides information about whether an individual body weight is proportionate to the body height. Since the development of BMI, two other body parameters have been developed in an attempt to determine the relationship between body height and weight. These are the body surface area (BSA) and body surface index (BSI). Generally, these body parameters are described as clinical health indicators that described how healthy an individual body response to the other internal organs. The aim of the study is to discuss the use of BSI as a better clinical health indicator for preclinical assessment of body-organ/tissue relationship. Hence organ health condition as against other body composition. In addition the study is `also to determine the best body parameter the best predict other parameters for clinical application. The model parameters are presented as; modeled height and weight; modelled BSI and BSA, BSI and BMI and modeled BSA and BMI. The models are presented as clinical application software for comfortable working process and designed as GUI and CAD for use in clinical application.


2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 098
Author(s):  
Cem Arıtürk ◽  
Serpil Ustalar Özgen ◽  
Behiç Danışan ◽  
Hasan Karabulut ◽  
Fevzi Toraman

<p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Background:</strong> The inspiratory oxygen fraction (FiO<sub>2</sub>) is usually set between 60% and 100% during conventional extracorporeal circulation (ECC). However, this strategy causes partial oxygen pressure (PaO<sub>2</sub>) to reach hyperoxemic levels (&gt;180 mmHg). During anesthetic management of cardiothoracic surgery it is important to keep PaO<sub>2</sub> levels between 80-180 mmHg. The aim of this study was to assess whether adjusting FiO<sub>2</sub> levels in accordance with body temperature and body surface area (BSA) during ECC is an effective method for maintaining normoxemic PaO<sub>2</sub> during cardiac surgery.</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Methods:</strong> After approval from the Ethics Committee of the University of Acıbadem, informed consent was given from 60 patients. FiO<sub>2</sub> adjustment strategies applied to the patients in the groups were as follows: FiO<sub>2</sub> levels were set as 0.21 × BSA during hypothermia and 0.21 × BSA + 10 during rewarming in Group I; 0.18 × BSA during hypothermia and 0.18 × BSA + 15 during rewarming in Group II; and 0.18 × BSA during hypothermia and variable with body temperature during rewarming in Group III. Arterial blood gas values and hemodynamic parameters were recorded before ECC (T1); at the 10th minute of cross clamp (T2); when the esophageal temperature (OT) reached 34°C (T3); when OT reached 36°C (T4); and just before the cessation of ECC (T5).</span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Results:</strong> Mean PaO<sub>2</sub> was significantly higher in Group I than in Group II at T2 and T3 (<em>P</em> = .0001 and <em>P</em> = .0001, respectively); in Group I than in Group III at T1 (<em>P</em> = .02); and in Group II than in Group III at T2, T3, and T4 <br /> (<em>P</em> = .0001 for all). </span></p><p class="p1"><span class="s1"><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Adjustment of FiO<sub>2</sub> according to BSA rather than keeping it at a constant level is more appropriate for keeping PaO<sub>2</sub> between safe level limits. However, since oxygen consumption of cells vary with body temperature, it would be appropriate to set FiO<sub>2</sub> levels in concordance with the body temperature in the <br /> rewarming period.</span></p>


2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHEN Guiying ◽  
LIU Jiongyu ◽  
DAI Qiang ◽  
JIANG Jianping

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