[The use of a heat flux transducer for measuring non-evaporative heat exchange in man].
Ten healthy males, 20-45 years of age, were subjected to measure the non-evaporative heat exchange by using thermal flux transducers at different ambient temperatures, atmospheric pressures, air velosities and body postures. Fifteen thermal flux transducers were mounted on each subject at the same points as Winslow's method (1936) proposed for calculating mean skin temperature. Non-evaporative heat exchange (Q) was computed from 15 heat flux measurements using the same weighting formula of Winslow. Evaporative heat loss (E) was estimated from body weight changes measured on a Potter bed scale. Metabolic heat production (M) was estimated indirectly from the oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. Mean body temperature was estimated from mean skin temperature calculated from 15 points and the esophageal temperature. In a wide variation of environmental conditions the summation of body heat storage during the experiment equaled that of the heat that reduced E and Q from M. However, the transducer seemed to overestimate the non-evaporative heat exchange of the body at high ambient temperatures where sweat rate was very high. The above results suggest that thermal flux transducer is a reliable tool in estimating non-evaporative heat exchange under a wide variation of environmental and physical conditions when used with great caution.
D000328:Adult; D000392:Air Movements; D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D001831:Body Temperature; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation; D002138:Calibration; D006801:Humans; D006813:Humidity; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011187:Posture; D012881:Skin Temperature; D013696:Temperature; D014159:Transducers