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HyperthermiaNCT05695079

Efficacy of Electric Fans for Mitigating Thermal Strain in Older Adults During Heat Waves

A study testing Electric fan (low airflow) and Electric fan (high airflow) in people with Hyperthermia and Weather; Heat, run by University of Ottawa at 1 site in Canada.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

With the increasing regularity and intensity of hot weather and heat waves, there is an urgent need to develop heat-alleviation strategies able to provide targeted protection for heat-vulnerable older adults. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 65 to 85 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Hyperthermia, Weather; Heat, Heat Stress
What is being tested?
Electric fan (low airflow) and Electric fan (high airflow)
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
19 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
1 Dec 2022to 10 Apr 2023
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 65 to 85 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Male or female adults.
  • Aged 65-85 years.
  • Non-smoking.
  • English or French speaking.
  • Ability to provide informed consent.

Who cannot join

  • Physical restriction (e.g., due to disease: intermittent claudication, renal impairment, active proliferative retinopathy, unstable cardiac or pulmonary disease, disabling stroke, severe arthritis, etc.).
  • Use of or changes in medication judged by the patient or investigators to make participation in this study inadvisable (e.g., medications increasing risk of heat-related illness; beta blockers, anticholinergics, etc.)
  • Cardiac abnormalities identified via 12-lead ECG during an incremental exercise test to volitional fatigue (performed for all participants).
  • Peak aerobic capacity (VO2peak), as measured during an incremental exercise test to volitional fatigue, exceeding the 50th percentile of age- and sex-specific normative values published by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Canada1 site
  • University of Ottawa

    Ottawa, Ontario, K1N6N5

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: Evaluating the Efficacy of Pedestal Fans for Limiting Heat Strain in Elderly Adults During Extreme Heat Events

With the increasing regularity and intensity of hot weather and heat waves, there is an urgent need to develop heat-alleviation strategies able to provide targeted protection for heat-vulnerable older adults. While air-conditioning provides the most effective protection from extreme heat, it is inaccessible for many individuals. Air-conditioning is also energy intensive, which can strain the electrical grid and, depending on the source of electricity generation, contribute to increasing green house gas emissions. For these reasons, recent guidance has advocated the use of electric fans as a simple and sustainable alternative to air-conditioning. To date, however, only one study has assessed the efficacy of fan use in older adults and demonstrated that fans accelerate increases in body temperature and heart rate in a short-duration (~2 hours) resting exposure to 42°C with increasing ambient humidity from 30-70%. While subsequent modelling has suggested that fans can improve heat loss via sweat evaporation in healthy older adults at air temperatures up to 38°C, there is currently no empirical data to support these claims. Further, that work assumed older adults were seated in front of a pedestal fan generating an airflow of 3·5-4·5 m/s at the front of the body. This airflow cannot be attained by most marketed pedestal fans. Studies are therefore needed to evaluate the efficacy of fans for preventing hyperthermia and the associated physiological burden in older adults in air temperatures below 38°C and determine whether the cooling effect of fans, if any, is evident at lower rates of airflow.

To address these knowledge gaps, this randomized crossover trial will evaluate body core temperature, cardiovascular strain, dehydration, and thermal comfort in adults aged 65-85 years exposed for 8 hours to conditions experienced during hot weather and heat waves in North America simulated using a climate chamber (36°C, 45% relative humidity). Each participant will complete three randomized exposures that will differ only in the airflow generated at the front of the body via an electric pedestal fan: no airflow (control), low airflow (~2 m/s), and high airflow (~4 m/s). While participants will spend most of the 8-hour exposure seated in front of the fan, they will also complete 4 x 10 min periods of 'activities of daily living' (~2-2.5 METS, light stepping) at ~2 hour intervals to more accurately reflect activity patterns in the home.

Being tested
No cooling (control), Electric fan (low airflow), Electric fan (high airflow)
Keywords
Heat wave, Cooling intervention, Electric fans, Cardiovascular strain, Extreme heat events
Medical subject headings
Hyperthermia, Heat Stress Disorders

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • No cooling (control)Other

    Participants are exposed to 36°C, 45% relative humidity for 8 hours without cooling intervention (control condition). Drinking water is available ad libitum. Participants are seated throughout exposure, except for during 10 min periods of simulated activities of daily living (light stepping at 2-2.5 METS) performed at hours 1, 3, 5, and 7.

  • Electric fan (low airflow)Other

    Participants are exposed to 36°C, 45% relative humidity for 8 hours without cooling interventions (control condition). Drinking water is available ad libitum. Participants are seated throughout exposure, except for during 10 min periods of simulated activities of daily living (light stepping at 2-2.5 METS) performed at hours 1, 3, 5, and 7. While participants are seated, an electric pedestal fan positioned 1 m away will deliver a continuous airflow of 2 m/s to the front of the body.

  • Electric fan (high airflow)Other

    Participants are exposed to 36°C, 45% relative humidity for 8 hours without cooling interventions (control condition). Drinking water is available ad libitum. Participants are seated throughout exposure, except for during 10 min periods of simulated activities of daily living (light stepping at 2-2.5 METS) performed at hours 1, 3, 5, and 7. While participants are seated, an electric pedestal fan positioned 1 m away will deliver a continuous airflow of 4 m/s to the front of the body.

Study groups in NCT05695079
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
No cooling intervention (control)Active comparatorAdults aged 65-85 years with or without type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension
Receives: Other: No cooling (control)
Fan generating low airflowExperimentalAdults aged 65-85 years with or without type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension
Receives: Other: Electric fan (low airflow)
Fan generating high airflowExperimentalAdults aged 65-85 years with or without type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension
Receives: Other: Electric fan (high airflow)

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Core temperature (peak)

    Peak rectal temperature (15 min average) during exposure. Rectal temperature is measured continuously throughout each simulated heat wave.

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

Secondary outcomes (15)
  1. Core temperature (AUC)

    Area under the curve of rectal temperature (in degree-hours).

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  2. Core temperature (end-exposure)

    Rectal temperature measured at hour 8 of the simulated heat wave exposure (15-min average)

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  3. Heart rate (peak)

    Peak heart rate (15 min average) during exposure. Heart rate is measured continuously via 3-lead ECG throughout each simulated heat wave

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  4. Heart rate (AUC)

    Area under the curve of rectal temperature (total beats).

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  5. Heart rate (end-exposure)

    Heart rate measured at hour 8 of the simulated heat wave exposure via 3-lead ECG (15-min average)

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  6. Systolic blood pressure (end-exposure)

    Systolic blood pressure measured in triplicate via automated oscillometry (~60 seconds between measures)

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  7. Diastolic blood pressure (end-exposure)

    Diastolic blood pressure measured in triplicate via automated oscillometry (~60 seconds between measures)

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  8. Rate pressure product (end-exposure)

    Rate pressure product, an index of myocardial work and strain, calculated as systolic blood pressure x heart rate.

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  9. Heart rate variability: SDNN (end-exposure)

    Standard deviation of normal-to-normal RR intervals (SDNN) measured during 5 minutes of paced breathing (15 breaths/min) with participants in the seated position. SDNN will be evaluated twice, during two paced breathing periods (separated by 4 min of seated rest).

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  10. Heart rate variability: RMSSD (end-exposure)

    Root mean squared standard deviation of normal-to-normal RR intervals (RMSSD) measured during 5 minutes of paced breathing (15 breaths/min) with participants in the seated position. RMSSD will be evaluated twice, during two paced breathing periods (separated by 4 min of seated rest).

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  11. Fluid consumption

    Cumulative fluid consumption calculated by weighing participant water intake at the start and end of each hour of exposure.

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  12. Fluid loss

    Fluid loss calculated as the change in body mass during each exposure presented as a percentage of baseline body mass (corrected for food consumption)

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  13. Change in plasma volume

    Change in plasma volume from baseline values calculated from duplicate measurements of hemoglobin and hematocrit at the start and end of each exposure using the technique by Dill and Costill.

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  14. Thermal comfort scale (end-exposure)

    Thermal comfort assessed via a visual analog scale ("How comfortable does your body temperature feel?") ranging from "extremely uncomfortable" to "extremely comfortable"(midpoint: neutral).

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

  15. Air movement scale (end-exposure)

    Perception of air movement assessed via a visual analog scale ("How do you feel about the air movement in this room?") ranging from "much too still" to "much too breezy" (midpoint: neutral).

    Measured: End of heat exposure (hour 8)

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted23 Jan 2023
  2. Study start1 Dec 2022
  3. Primary completion10 Apr 2023
  4. Study completion10 Apr 2023

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Crossover
Model description
Each participant will complete 3 simulated heat wave exposures in random order: i) no electric fan (control); ii) electric fan generating air flow of 2 m/s at the front of the body; and iii) electric fan generating air flow of 4 m/s at the front of the body.
Masking
Double blind
Who is masked
Participant, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
19 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05695079
Sponsor's protocol ID
H-11-21-7572
Status last verified
Jun 2023
First submitted
12 Jan 2023
Last updated
18 Jun 2023
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: Deidentified participant data will be made available with approved analysis plan and signed access agreement

Publications

  • King K, McCormick J, O'Connor F, Meade R, Kenny G. The efficacy of fan use on autophagy and the cellular stress response during prolonged exposure to extreme heat in older adults: a randomized trial. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2026 Jan 1;51:1-11. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2025-0250.

    PubMed 41297035
  • Lee BJ, McCarthy T, O'Connor F, Davey SL, Thake CD, McCormick JJ, King KE, Boulay P, Meade RD, Kenny GP. Effect of pedestal fan use on serum stress biomarkers in older adults exposed to simulated daylong indoor overheating. Physiol Rep. 2025 Jun;13(12):e70390. doi: 10.14814/phy2.70390.

    PubMed 40542541
  • O'Connor F, McGarr G, Harris-Mostert R, Boulay P, Sigal R, Meade R, Kenny GP. Effects of pedestal-mounted electric fans on self-reported symptoms and mood-state in older adults exposed to indoor overheating during a simulated heatwave: an exploratory analysis. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2025 Jan 1;50:1-12. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2024-0461.

    PubMed 40020224

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Electric fan (low airflow) and Electric fan (high airflow) in people with Hyperthermia and Weather; Heat, run by University of Ottawa at 1 site in Canada.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 5 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 18 Jun 2023. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Core temperature (peak) (time frame: End of heat exposure (hour 8)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05695079, which also lists 3 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 18 Jun 2023.

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