In order to test the safety of hot tub use for persons with heart disease, 15 men
with clinically stable coronary artery disease underwent 15 minutes of immersion in
a hot tub at 40°C. On another day, they exercised on a cycle ergometer for 15 minutes;
target heart rate was determined by standard methods. Tympanic temperature, skin temperature,
electrocardiographic findings, blood pressure, plasma catecholamines, subjective comfort,
and cardiovascular symptoms were monitored. The peak heart rate was significantly
lower during the hot tub session versus the exercise session (85 ± 14 versus 112 ±
19 beats/min), as were the systolic (106 ± 15 versus 170 ± 21 mm Hg) and diastolic
(61 ± 6 versus 83 ± 8 mm Hg) blood pressure measurements (P<0.01). Tympanic temperature increased by a mean of 0.6 ± 0.3°C during immersion and
0.1 ± 0.1°C during exercise. No ischemic electrocardiographic changes or clinical
complications occurred. Simple ventricular ectopic activity and “just noticeable”
chest pain were more frequent during exercise than during immersion. Plasma norepinephrine
increased during exercise but not during immersion. These data suggest that hot tub
use within these time and temperature constraints should be safe for men with stable
heart disease who can follow an exercise regimen at home.
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Article Info
Footnotes
This study was supported in part by a grant from Mayo Foundation, and technical support was provided in part by Grant RR 00585 from the National Institutes of Health, Public Health Service.
Identification
Copyright
© 1993 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
