Haemoconcentration, not decreased blood temperature, increases blood viscosity during cold water immersion
Rostomily KA, Jones DM, Pautz CM, Ito DW, Buono MJ
Diving and hyperbaric medicine · 7 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Controlled clinical trial (classified by our AI screen)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2020-03-17 · Diving Hyperb Med · vol. 50 · issue 1 · pp. 24–27
- Cited
- 19 citations · more than 86% of similar papers · 1.7× the field average
- References
- 16 works
- Access
- Open access (repository copy)
- Research areas
- Thermal Regulation in Medicine · Thermoregulation and physiological responses · Exercise and Physiological Responses
- Keywords
- Blood viscosity, Medicine, Hypothermia, Internal medicine, Animal science, Chemistry, Biology
- MeSH
- humans, hypothermia, water, body temperature, exercise, immersion, temperature, blood viscosity, female, male
5 authors
From US
- Kaitlyn A. RostomilySan Diego State University
- Douglas M. JonesSan Diego State University
- Carina M. PautzSan Diego State University
- Danica W. ItoSan Diego State University
- Michael J. BuonoSan Diego State University
Abstract
Introduction
Prolonged cold-water immersion (CWI) has the potential to cause significant hypothermia and haemoconcentration; both of which have previously been shown to independently increase blood viscosity in vitro. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of CWI on blood viscosity and examine the relative contribution of decreased blood temperature and haemoconcentration.
Methods
Ten healthy volunteers were immersed to mid-sternum in 10°C water for 90 minutes. Gastrointestinal (GI) temperature, haematocrit (Hct), and blood viscosity were measured pre- and post-CWI.
Results
CWI caused mean (SD) GI temperature to decrease from 37.5 (0.3)°C to 36.2 (0.7)°C (P < 0.05). CWI also caused mean Hct to increase from 40.0 (3.5)% to 45.0 (2.9)% (P < 0.05). As a result of the haemoconcentration and decreased GI temperature during CWI the mean blood viscosity increased by 19% from 2.80 (0.28) mPa·s⁻¹ to 3.33 (0.42) mPa·s⁻¹ (P < 0.05). However, when the pre-CWI blood sample was measured at the post-CWI GI temperature (36.2°C) there was no significant difference in the blood viscosity when compared to the pre-CWI (37.5°C) blood sample (2.82 (0.20) mPa·s-1 and 2.80 (0.28) mPa·s-1 respectively). Furthermore, the changes in Hct and blood viscosity during CWI were significantly correlated with an r = 0.84.
Conclusion
The results of the current study show that prolonged, severe CWI causes a significant 19% increase in blood viscosity. In addition, the results strongly suggest that almost all of the increased blood viscosity seen following CWI is the result of haemoconcentration, not decreased blood temperature.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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