Insulated skin temperature as a measure of core body temperature for individuals wearing CBRN protective clothing

摘要

This study assessed the validity of insulated skin temperature (T_is) to predict rectal temperature (T_re) for use as a non-invasive measurement of thermal strain to reduce the risk of heat illness for emergency service personnel. Volunteers from the Police, Fire and Rescue, and Ambulance Services performed role-related tasks in hot (30 °C) and neutral (18 °C) conditions, wearing service specific personal protective equipment. Insulated skin temperature and micro climate temperature (T_mc) predicted T_re with an adjusted r~2 = 0.87 and standard error of the estimate (SEE) of 0.19 °C. A bootstrap validation of the equation resulted in an adjusted r~2 = 0.85 and SEE = 0.20 °C. Taking into account the 0.20 °C error, the prediction of T_re resulted in a sensitivity and specificity of 100% and 91%, respectively. Insulated skin temperature and T_mc can be used in a model to predict T_re in emergency service personnel wearing CBRN protective clothing with an SEE of 0.2 °C. However, the model is only valid for T_is over 36.5 °C, above which thermal stability is reached between the core and the skin.