The Effect of Simulated Burn Injury on Post Exercise Recovery in Hot Environments (HSR)

Burn survivors have difficulty thermoregulating due to reduced skin blood flow and sweating responses at the grafted sites. It has been previously shown that this impaired heat dissipation results in burn survivors experiencing higher core temperatures for a given exercise/environmental exposure compared to non-burned individuals. This also holds true with the use of simulated burn injury. When an absorbent material is applied to the skin over a desired amount of body surface area, it replicates a burn injury of the same size (i.e., simulated burn injury). A question that remains unknown is if this impaired thermoregulation in burn survivors would affect post-exercise core temperature recovery, i.e., do burn survivors recover slower than non-burned individuals upon stopping exercise. To that end, the primary objective of this project is to determine the rate at which body temperature and other markers of thermoregulation recover after a bout of exercise in the heat and if this response is different in the same individual with and without simulated burn injury.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Burn Injury; Body Temperature Regulation; Cardiovascular Physiology
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Simulated burn injury via application of absorbent and impermeable material over 60% of the body

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 28
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Erin M Harper, B.S.; Phone Number: 12143454737; Email: erin.harper2@utsouthwestern.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Elizabeth A Gideon, PhD; Email: betsygideon@texashealth.org

Study Locations

• United States
  • Texas
    • Dallas, Texas, United States, 75231
      • Recruiting
      • Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine - Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas
      • Contact: Craig G Crandall, PhD; Email: craigcrandall@texashealth.org
      • Sub-Investigator: Elizabeth A Gideon, PhD
      • Contact: Erin M Harper, B.S.; Phone Number: 214-345-4737; Email: erin.harper2@utsouthwestern.edu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• 18 and 65 years of age
• free of any significant underlying medical problems based upon a detailed medical history and physical exam, and normal resting electrocardiogram.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known heart disease
• other chronic medical conditions requiring regular medical therapy including cancer, diabetes, neurological diseases, and uncontrolled hypertension, etc. as well as serious abnormalities detected on routine screening.
• Individuals who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding will be excluded, this will be confirmed in females using a urine pregnancy test.
• Taking prescribed medications (such as beta blockers and non-dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers) or over-the-counter medications that have known influences on thermoregulatory response.
• Current smokers, as well as individuals who regularly smoked within the past 3 years.
• body mass index is ≥ 31 kg/m2.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

4

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Hot and Humid with simulated burns; Individuals will be exposed to hot and humid conditions with a simulated burn injury.	Other: Simulated burn injury via application of absorbent and impermeable material over 60% of the body; Simulated burn injury via application of absorbent and impermeable material over 60% of the body
No Intervention: Hot and Humid without simulated burns; Individuals will be exposed to hot and humid conditions without a simulated burn injury.
Experimental: Hot and Dry with simulated burns; Individuals will be exposed to hot and dry conditions with a simulated burn injury.	Other: Simulated burn injury via application of absorbent and impermeable material over 60% of the body; Simulated burn injury via application of absorbent and impermeable material over 60% of the body
No Intervention: Hot and Dry without simulated burns; Individuals will be exposed to hot and dry conditions without a simulated burn injury.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Core Temperature	From baseline to end of 60 minutes of recovery

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Time Frame
Heart Rate	From baseline to the end of 60 minutes of recovery

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
• Collaborators: National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Craig G Crandall, PhD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2028
• Study Completion (Estimated): August 1, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: June 25, 2025
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: June 25, 2025
• First Posted (Actual): July 3, 2025

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): May 26, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 21, 2026
• Last Verified: May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Wounds and Injuries; Burns
• Other Study ID Numbers: STU20251344; R35GM152112-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No