Benefits of Respiratory Heat and Moisture Exchangers during Cold Exposures

摘要

The purpose of this paper was to serve as a brief literature review overviewing the current state of knowledge pertaining to respiratory heat and moisture exchangers (HME' s). Recommendations were extracted from the review with the intention of informing the Dwyer Hill Training Center so that an informed decision could be made regarding further laboratory testing of HME's as well as setting policy regarding the use of HME's as an ergogenic aid for the Canadian Forces (CF). Detailed for the reader were the general physical properties and mechanism of function of most modem HME's, as well as their application to respiratory heat and moisture retention, reduction of cold and/or exercise induced bronchoconstriction, and medical environments. Although the majority of the papers reviewed reported positive findings-with the only real challenges coming from the medical community-no hard evidence was found to support the use of HME's as an ergogenic aid in the reduction of respiratory heat and moisture loss. However, there may be some merit for the use of HME's as performance enhancers by those individuals who are predisposed to respiratory complications that are further aggravated by cold and/or exercise exposure. In light of the evidence provided by this review, it is the recommendation of the authors that further more specific and thorough testing be commissioned to evaluate the heat and moisture sparing properties of HME' 5 and their possible application as an ergogenic aid to CF personnel during cold exposure. We do feel comfortable however with recommending HME use by those military personnel who have existing respiratory conditions that might be aggravated by cold and/or exercise exposure.