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Advanced lightweight cooling-garment technology: functional improvements in thermosensitive patients with multiple sclerosisDepartment of Neurology, Rehabilitation Centre, CH-7317 Valens, Switzerland
Swiss Federal Institute for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), CH-9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland
Swiss Federal Institute for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), CH-9014 St. Gallen, Switzerland
Department of Neurology, Rehabilitation Centre, CH-7317 Valens, Switzerland
Centre for Organizational and Occupational Sciences ZOA, ETH Zurich, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Department of Neurology, Rehabilitation Centre, CH-7317 Valens, Switzerland, kesselring.klival{at}spin.ch
Cooling of thermosensitive patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) can improve clinical symptoms. In order to study the effectiveness of an advanced lightweight cooling-garment technology based on aquatic evaporation, a single-blinded balanced crossover study was performed on 20 patients with an Expanded Disability Status Scale score
Key Words: cooling multiple sclerosis muscle strength thermosensitivity walking
This version was published on March
1, 2007 Multiple Sclerosis, Vol. 13, No. 2,
232-237 (2007) |
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6.5. The results using a tight-cuff cooling-garment prototype for peripheral cooling suggest improvement of a timed-walking test, leg-strength, fine-motor skills and subjective benefits. Preliminary data of the heart rate variability (HRV) including six patients suggest that the MS patients show an abnormal HRV after sham condition, which is normalized after cooling. Technical information was gained about the cooling activity and the practicability and handling of the device. These encouraging findings promote further adaptations of the prototype to increase its cooling properties and ameliorate the practicability of the cooling garment.