How severe burns affect heart health and body temperature control
Cardiovascular and thermoregulatory consequences of severe burn injuries
This project looks at how large burn injuries change heart function and the body's ability to control temperature in people who had burns covering about 20% or more of their skin.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Ut Southwestern Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Dallas, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11184177 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you join, researchers will measure your skin blood flow, sweating, and heart and blood vessel function using noninvasive tests and controlled heat exposures. They will focus on well-healed survivors of large burns (around 20%+ body surface area) and compare findings with people who did not have major burns. The team will review medical records and health outcomes to link these physiological changes with longer-term risks like heart disease, heart failure, and stroke. The investigators will also pursue potential ways to reduce these thermoregulatory and cardiovascular problems for burn survivors.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are adults who are well healed after a severe burn covering roughly 20% or more of total body surface area and who can travel for clinical testing.
Not a fit: People with only minor or small-area burns, or those without a history of major burn injury, are unlikely to benefit directly from this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to clearer guidance and new treatments to improve temperature control, reduce cardiovascular risk, and enhance quality of life for large-burn survivors.
How similar studies have performed: Prior human studies, including long-term work by the PI, have repeatedly shown reduced skin blood flow and sweating after large burns, but effective clinical fixes for the lasting cardiovascular and thermoregulatory problems remain limited.
Where this research is happening
Dallas, United States
- Ut Southwestern Medical Center — Dallas, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Crandall, Craig G — Ut Southwestern Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Crandall, Craig G
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.