A Low-Cost, Easy-to-Assemble Device to Prevent Infant Hyperthermia under Conditions of High Thermal Stress

Ramon Farré, Miguel A. Rodríguez-Lázaro, Anh Tuan Dinh-Xuan, Martí Pons-Odena, Daniel Navajas and David Gozal
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Ramon Farré: Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
Miguel A. Rodríguez-Lázaro: Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
Anh Tuan Dinh-Xuan: Service de Physiologie-Explorations Fonctionnelles, Hôpital Cochin, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), 75014 Paris, France
Martí Pons-Odena: Immune and Respiratory Dysfunction Research Group, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Pediatric Intensive Care and Intermediate Care Department, Sant Joan de Déu University Hospital, Universitat de Barcelona, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
Daniel Navajas: Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
David Gozal: Department of Child Health, The University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO 65201, USA

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 24, 1-12

Abstract: High ambient temperature and humidity greatly increase the risk of hyperthermia and mortality, particularly in infants, who are especially prone to dehydration. World areas at high risk of heat stress include many of the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) where most of their inhabitants have no access to air conditioning. This study aimed to design, evaluate, and test a novel low-cost and easy-to-assemble device aimed at preventing the risk of infant hyperthermia in LMICs. The device is based on optimizing negative heat transfer from a small amount of ice and transferring it directly to the infant by airflow of refrigerated air. As a proof of concept, a device was assembled mainly using recycled materials, and its performance was assessed under laboratory-controlled conditions in a climatic chamber mimicking realistic stress conditions of high temperature and humidity. The device, which can be assembled by any layperson using easily available materials, provided sufficient refrigerating capacity for several hours from just 1–2 kg of ice obtained from a domestic freezer. Thus, application of this novel device may serve to attenuate the adverse effects of heat stress in infants, particularly in the context of the evolving climatic change trends.

Keywords: hyperthermia; heatwave; heat shock; heat index; low-middle income countries; air conditioning; negative heat transfer; high ambient temperature; low-cost refrigeration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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