Heated Vest for Persons with Spinal Cord Injury

Persons with higher levels of spinal cord injury (above the 2nd thoracic vertebrae; tetraplegia) are unable to maintain normal core body temperature (Tcore) when exposed to cool environments. In persons with tetraplegia, even limited exposure to cool temperatures may cause Tcore to approach hypothermic values and impair cognitive performance. Conversely, an increase in Tcore from subnormal to normal range may improve cognitive performance. Prior work has shown that cool seasonal temperatures have an adverse effect on personal comfort and the ability to perform vital daily activities of self-care in persons with tetraplegia. Interventions that address the vulnerability to hypothermia are limited. A self-regulating heated vest designed specifically for persons with tetraplegia is a novel and promising strategy to address this problem. By more effectively maintaining Tcore, the vest can decrease the adverse impact of cool temperatures on comfort, quality of life, and performance of vital daily tasks for Veterans with tetraplegia during the cooler seasons.