Burn size and environmental conditions modify thermoregulatory responses to exercise in burn survivors.

This project tested the hypothesis that burn survivors can perform mild/moderate-intensity exercise in temperate and hot environments without excessive elevations in core body temperature. Burn survivors with low (23 ± 5%TBSA; N = 11), moderate (40 ± 5%TBSA; N = 9), and high (60 ± 8%TBSA; N = 9) burn injuries performed 60 minutes of cycle ergometry exercise (72 ± 15 watts) in a 25°C and 23% relative humidity environment (ie, temperate) and in a 40°C and 21% relative humidity environment (ie, hot). Absolute gastrointestinal temperatures (TGI) and changes in TGI (ΔTGI) were obtained.