Recruiting

Cooling Modalities

Sponsor:

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Code:

NCT05484739

Conditions

Aging

Hyperthermia

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 65+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Interventions

Water Spray

Fan

Water Spray and Fan

Control

Study Details

Brief summary:

The purpose of this study is to assess how well cooling modalities work in reducing cardiovascular stress of the elderly to heat wave conditions

Conditions

Aging

Hyperthermia

Study ID

NCT05484739

Start date

Feb 21, 2023

Status verified date

Sep, 2026

Completion date

Aug 31, 2027

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jan 31, 2027

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 65+

Healthy Volunteers: Accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 65 years of age or older
  • Free of any significant underlying medical problems based upon a detailed medical history and physical exam

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known heart disease
  • Other chronic medical conditions requiring regular medical therapy including cancer, diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, and uncontrolled hypercholesterolemia etc;
  • Abnormality detected on routine screening suggestive of provokable ischemia or previously undetected cardiac disease or resting left bundle branch block on screening electrocardiogram.
  • Current smokers, as well as individuals who regularly smoked within the past 3 years
  • Subject with a body mass index ≥31 kg/m2
  • Pregnant individuals

Study Design

Enrollment

100 participants

Anticipated

Allocation

Randomized

Intervention Model

Crossover

Primary purpose

Prevention

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Very hot and dry

Subjects will be exposed to 3 hours in a climate chamber set to approximately 47 deg C and 15% relative humidity, which reflects a very hot and dry heat wave condition similar to the 2018 Los Angeles heat wave. Four visits will be required to complete this arm, with each visit a different cooling modality applied.

experimental: Hot and humid

Subjects will be exposed to 3 hours in a climate chamber set to approximately 41 deg C and 40% relative humidity, which reflects hot and humid heat wave similar to the 1995 Chicago heat wave. Four visits will be required to complete this arm, with each visit a different cooling modality applied.

Interventions

Water Spray

Participants will receive water spraying on their body throughout the climate chamber exposure.

Fan

Participants will be exposed to a fan throughout the climate chamber exposure.

Water Spray and Fan

Participants will receive both water spraying and a fan throughout the climate chamber exposure.

Control

Participants will NOT receive either water spray or a fan exposure.

Primary outcome measure

  • Change in core body temperature [ Time Frame: Body core temperature will be obtained within 60 min before the heat wave exposure after the 3 hour heat wave exposure. ]
  • Change in left ventricular function [ Time Frame: Within 60 minutes before each simulated heat wave exposure, around minute 90 of the heat wave exposure, and at the end of the 3 hour heat wave exposure ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Rachel Cottle, PhD

214-345-6557RachelCottle@texashealth.org

Erin Harper, BS

214-345-5022ErinHarper@texashealth.org

Locations

Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas

Recruiting

Dallas, Texas, United States, 75231

Contacts

Zachary McKenna, PhD

214-345-6557ZacharyMckenna@texashealth.org

Taysom Wallace, MS

214.345.5022TaysomWallace@texashealth.org

Principal Investigator:

Craig Crandall, PhD

More Information

Sponsor

University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Last update posted

Sep 8, 2026

Last verified

Sep, 2026

Keywords

  • aging
  • heat wave
  • cardiovascular
  • low-energy cooling

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-09. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center on 2026-09-08.