Thermal & Vascular Physiology Laboratory

Research in the Thermal and Vascular Physiology Laboratory focuses on neural control of the cardiovascular system and how different stressors influence that control in healthy, diseased, and injured individuals, such as:

• Identifying the consequences of severe burn injuries and subsequent skin grafting on the ability of the burn survivor to regulate internal temperature and cardiovascular function.
• Understanding the consequences of aging on cardiovascular stress during simulated heat waves.
• Exploring cooling modalities to attenuate thermal and cardiovascular stress.
• Understanding how analgesics used on the battlefield affect autonomic control of blood pressure during hemorrhage.

Interests

• Dr. Crandall’s research interests revolve around neural control of the cardiovascular system, with emphasis on how thermal stress modifies this control.
• Research areas range from integrative thermoregulatory studies in healthy and unique populations (e.g., skin graft patients) to mechanistic studies on the skin microcirculation.

Clinical applications of this work include:

• Improved blood pressure control during hemorrhage (particularly in heat stressed individuals such as soldiers, construction workers, etc.).
• Improved temperature regulatory capacity for injured/diseased individuals (e.g., patients with skin grafts, congestive heart failure, etc.)
• Improved temperature regulation for the elderly during heat stress (heat waves, extreme exercise, etc.)

Current Projects

• Cooling modalities to attenuate thermoregulatory and cardiovascular stress in burn survivors and the elderly.
• Cardiovascular consequences of heat waves on the elderly.
• Cardiovascular consequences of Beta Blockers on healthy individuals experiencing heat stress.
• Effects on thermoregulation due to Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN).
• Differences in epidermal and subdermal skin temperature responses to low-energy cooling modalities.

Current Research Opportunities

View our current research opportunities for:

• Cooling Modalities, Burn Survivors, Exercise
• COPD, Heat Wave, Aging, and Cardiovascular Function
• Cooling Modalities, Heat Wave, Aging, Cardiovascular Function
• Skin Temperature, Epidermal, Subdermal
• Steven-Johnson Syndrome, Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis, Thermoregulation
• Beta Blockers, Cardiovascular Function, Thermoregulation