IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v18y2021i24p13382-d706130.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

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

Author

Listed:
  • Ramon Farré

    (Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina i Ciències de la Salut, Universitat de Barcelona, 08036 Barcelona, Spain
    CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, 28029 Madrid, Spain
    Institut Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, 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
    CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias, 28029 Madrid, Spain
    The Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), 08028 Barcelona, Spain)

  • David Gozal

    (Department of Child Health, The University of Missouri School of Medicine, Columbia, MO 65201, USA)

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Ramon Farré & Miguel A. Rodríguez-Lázaro & Anh Tuan Dinh-Xuan & Martí Pons-Odena & Daniel Navajas & David Gozal, 2021. "A Low-Cost, Easy-to-Assemble Device to Prevent Infant Hyperthermia under Conditions of High Thermal Stress," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(24), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:24:p:13382-:d:706130
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/24/13382/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/24/13382/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lukoye Atwoli & Abdullah H Baqui & Thomas Benfield & Raffaella Bosurgi & Fiona Godlee & Stephen Hancocks & Richard Horton & Laurie Laybourn-Langton & Carlos Augusto Monteiro & Ian Norman & Kirsten Pat, 2021. "Call for emergency action to limit global temperature increases, restore biodiversity, and protect health," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 18(9), pages 1-4, September.
    2. Ru Cao & Yuxin Wang & Jing Huang & Jie He & Pitakchon Ponsawansong & Jianbo Jin & Zhihu Xu & Teng Yang & Xiaochuan Pan & Tippawan Prapamontol & Guoxing Li, 2021. "The Mortality Effect of Apparent Temperature: A Multi-City Study in Asia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-12, April.
    3. Jonathan Chambers, 2020. "Global and cross-country analysis of exposure of vulnerable populations to heatwaves from 1980 to 2018," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(1), pages 539-558, November.
    4. Geruso, Michael & Spears, Dean, 2018. "Heat, Humidity, and Infant Mortality in the Developing World," IZA Discussion Papers 11717, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jaime A. Teixeira da Silva, 2023. "The risk of abuse of environmental sustainable developmental goals (SDGs) by academia and publishers for cheap reputational gains," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 28(5), pages 1-5, June.
    2. Altsitsiadis, E. & Kaiser, M. & Tsakas, A. & Kyriakidis, A. & Stamos, A., 2024. "Investigating the Regional and Individual Drivers of the Support for Renewable Energy Transition: The Role of Severe Material Deprivation," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2419, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    3. Hanlon, W. Walker & Hansen, Casper Worm & Kantor, Jake, 2021. "Temperature, Disease, and Death in London: Analyzing Weekly Data for the Century from 1866 to 1965," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 81(1), pages 40-80, March.
    4. Juliane Kemen & Silvia Schäffer-Gemein & Johanna Grünewald & Thomas Kistemann, 2021. "Heat Perception and Coping Strategies: A Structured Interview-Based Study of Elderly People in Cologne, Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-19, July.
    5. Emmanuelle Arpin & Karl Gauffin & Meghan Kerr & Anders Hjern & Angela Mashford-Pringle & Aluisio Barros & Luis Rajmil & Imti Choonara & Nicholas Spencer, 2021. "Climate Change and Child Health Inequality: A Review of Reviews," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-17, October.
    6. Yajie Du & Ming Jing & Chunyu Lu & Jingru Zong & Lingli Wang & Qing Wang, 2022. "Global Population Exposure to Extreme Temperatures and Disease Burden," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-12, October.
    7. Mkaddem, Chamseddine & Mahjoubi, Soufiane, 2022. "Climate change and its impact on water consumption in Tunisia: Evidence from ARDL approach," MPRA Paper 115658, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised Dec 2022.
    8. Brian C. Thiede & Sara Ronnkvist & Anna Armao & Katrina Burka, 2022. "Climate anomalies and birth rates in sub-Saharan Africa," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 171(1), pages 1-20, March.
    9. Cuong Viet Nguyen & Manh‐Hung Nguyen & Toan Truong Nguyen, 2023. "The impact of cold waves and heat waves on mortality: Evidence from a lower middle‐income country," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(6), pages 1220-1243, June.
    10. Nguyen, Cuong Viet & Nguyen, Manh-Hung & Nguyen, Toan Truong, 2022. "Climate Change, Cold Waves, Heat Waves, and Mortality: Evidence from a Lower Middle-Income Country," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1034, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    11. Modan Goldman & Aditya Vaidyam & Sindhu Parupalli & Holly Rosencranz & Davendra Ramkumar & Japhia Ramkumar, 2024. "Food Systems and Planetary Health Nexus Elective: A Novel Approach to A Medical Education Imperative for the 21st Century," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 15(1), pages 1-12, January.
    12. Olexiy Kyrychenko, 2021. "Environmental Regulations, Air Pollution, and Infant Mortality in India: A Reexamination," CERGE-EI Working Papers wp703, The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education - Economics Institute, Prague.
    13. Lester Lusher & Tim Ruberg, 2024. "Unveiling the Unseen Illness: Public Health Warnings and Heat Stroke," Keio-IES Discussion Paper Series 2024-020, Institute for Economics Studies, Keio University.
    14. Garg, Teevrat & Gibson, Matthew & Sun, Fanglin, 2020. "Extreme temperatures and time use in China," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 180(C), pages 309-324.
    15. Anna Custers & Prathap Kasina & Deepak Saraswat & Anjali P. Verma, 2022. "Can Technology Mitigate the Impact of Heat on Labor Productivity? Experimental Evidence from India," Working papers 2022-10, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics.
    16. Klein, Jordan D. & Rasoanomenjanahary, Anjarasoa, 2023. "Climate Change and Health Transitions: Evidence From Antananarivo, Madagascar," OSF Preprints hk7fp, Center for Open Science.
    17. Arulalan T & Krishna AchutaRao & Ambuj D Sagar, 2023. "Climate science to inform adaptation policy: Heat waves over India in the 1.5°C and 2°C warmer worlds," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 176(5), pages 1-19, May.
    18. Michelle McLean & Georgia Behrens & Hannah Chase & Omnia El Omrani & Finola Hackett & Karly Hampshire & Nuzhat Islam & Sarah Hsu & Natasha Sood, 2022. "The Medical Education Planetary Health Journey: Advancing the Agenda in the Health Professions Requires Eco-Ethical Leadership and Inclusive Collaboration," Challenges, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-17, December.
    19. Or, Zeynep & Seppänen, Anna-Veera, 2024. "The role of the health sector in tackling climate change: A narrative review," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    20. Audrey de Nazelle & Charlotte J. Roscoe & Aina Roca-Barcelό & Giselle Sebag & Gudrun Weinmayr & Carlos Dora & Kristie L. Ebi & Mark J. Nieuwenhuijsen & Maya Negev, 2021. "Urban Climate Policy and Action through a Health Lens—An Untapped Opportunity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-9, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:24:p:13382-:d:706130. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.