STAYING COOL WITH AID – ISSUE NO. 262

Hot and humid days like today are definitely signs that summer is here. During the summer, you try to stay cool by any means necessary. The neighborhood kids running through sprinklers and sliding down slip and slides. Some days get so hot that you have to make the decision on weekends whether to start the yard work in the morning or wait to the later afternoon when the sun starts to set. You don't want to be stuck out in the dead heat of the summer day. Some of my favorite things on a really hot humid day is to jump into a pool or get out on the lake and take a swim in a sandy bay. Nothing beats the refreshing feeling of the cooling relief you get immediately when you're hot. My first visit to an CSSD was on a hot, humid day in the summer. I remember the decontam was in the basement and not really hot at first, but after putting on my PPE gear, I felt that I was getting hot very quickly. The longer I was there, the hotter I felt and I couldn't wait to remove the PPE and cool off. I probably would have done anything for a cool towel to wrap around my face and head, but you can't just have one laying around in a contaminated area. What do you do in these circumstances? The new Cool Aids are designed for this purpose. You wear them under your PPE to stay cool for an extended period of time. There are few better ways to beat the heat within the SPD or Operating Room than these lightweight, latex free cooling devices. Simply submerge the head gear or neck band in cold water for 2-3 minutes, and the enjoy hours of cool temps. For additional heat relief pair in one of the Cool Aids vests, which utilize cold packs for core body cooling. Stay cool my friends!