Heat and hypoxia: how simulated altitude affects body temperature and strain

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This interventional study explores how normobaric hypoxia (simulated altitude) influences physiological responses to occupational heat exposure. Participants undergo simulated heat stress under two conditions: normoxic and hypoxic, to see how reduced oxygen availability alters core temperature, heart rate, and other markers of thermal strain. The goal is to refine stay-time concepts and heat-mitigation guidance for workplaces that combine heat with hypoxic environments. Eligible participants are physically active men who are English or French-speaking and meet specific health criteria. The study is conducted at the University of Ottawa in Canada and is led by the University of Ottawa with no listed collaborators.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

* Are male.
* Do not smoke or have been smoke free for at least 5 years.
* English or French speaking.
* Ability to provide informed consent.
* Are physically active (engage in exercise at least 2 times per week for ≥30 minutes)

Exclusion Criteria:

* Are regularly exposed to hot environments (e.g., occupational heat exposure)
* Are regularly exposed to hypoxic environments (e.g., high altitudes)
* Experience claustrophobia or discomfort in enclosed environments
* Episode(s) of severe hypoglycemia (requiring the assistance of another person) within the previous year, or inability to sense hypoglycemia (hypoglycemia unawareness).
* Serious complications related to diabetes (gastroparesis, renal disease, uncontrolled hypertension, severe autonomic neuropathy).
* Uncontrolled hypertension - BP \>150 mmHg systolic or \>95 mmHg diastolic in a sitting position.
* Restrictions in physical activity due to disease (e.g. intermittent claudication, renal impairment, active proliferative retinopathy, unstable cardiac or pulmonary disease, disabling stroke, severe arthritis, etc.).
* Use of or changes in medication judged by the patient or investigators to make participation in this study inadvisable.
* Cardiac abnormalities identified during screening

Where it's running

• University of Ottawa
  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Glen P Kenny, PhD — University of Ottawa
• Study coordinator: Glen P Kenny, PhD
• Email: gkenny@uottawa.ca
• Phone: 6135625800

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.