Reduction in Clothing Ventilation by Wearing the Infection-Isolation Gown and its Countermeasure Effectiveness of Partial Body Cooling

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the reduction in clothing microclimate ventilation on the upper body by wearing an infection-isolation gown and to identify the effect of partial body cooling as a countermeasure. Approach: The ventilation index (VI, L/min) of the clothing microclimate was calculated by multiplying the air exchange rate by the microclimate volume, measured on the upper body of a shop-manikin wearing an infection-isolation gown, for comparison with a lab coat. Separate wear trials with eight participants examined how the cooling vest served as a countermeasure to diminish heat dissipation. Young adults, five males and three females, performed three sets of 10 min walks with breaks of 7 min at 28.0 ± 1.0 °C, 60 ± 5%rh, and with an air velocity of 0.6 m/s in a headwind wearing an infection-isolation gown with and without a cooling vest. The oral temperature, heart rate, skin temperature at three body sites, clothing microclimate temperature, and humidity on the chest and upper arm were continuously measured. The thermal and moisture sensations were evaluated after three sets of walking. Sweat was collected from the chest using absorbent pads. Findings: VI with the infection-isolation gown demonstrated a 75% reduction in the anterior trunk compared with the lab coat. As a result of the two-way ANOVA analysis in the wear trials, heart rate and clothing microclimate temperatures at the two sites rose, accompanying each 10 min walk. These results showed no significant differences with or without the cooling vest. The oral temperature, mean skin temperature, and clothing microclimate humidity at the two sites increased with walking exercises and showed significantly lower values with a cooling vest than without it. The sweat rate on the chest was significantly lower with the cooling vest. Thus, partial body cooling proved effective in mitigating the increase in clothing microclimate humidity on the anterior trunk in hot environments, contributing to the suppression of thermal and moisture sensation deterioration. When wearing an infection-isolation gown, partial body cooling could be an effective countermeasure against substantial obstacles due to convective and evaporative heat dissipation.