May coronary patients take a sauna bath?
Stanghelle, J.K.; Hansen, H.J.
Tidsskrift for den Norske Laegeforening Tidsskrift for Praktisk Medicin Ny Raekke 101(23): 1273-1275
1981
ISSN/ISBN: 0029-2001 PMID: 7268736 Document Number: 168531
Coronary patients (42) and healthy persons (10) were studied during a stepwise maximal ergometer cycle test and a 10-min sauna bath at a temperature of 85.degree. C and relative humidity of 9%. The mean age of the patients was 51 yr (range 37-61 yr); nobody suffered from unstable angina, heart failure or untreated serious arrhythmias. Of these, 9 coronary patients suffered from angina during the cycle test, and 2 coronary patients and 1 healthy person experienced slight vertigo after the sauna bath, but none had angina. ECG changes were found more often during the sauna bath than during cycling, but the changes were mainly slight and uncharacteristic and were found with the same incidence in both groups. Ten coronary patients had ischemic ST-depressions during cycling, but not during sauna bathing. Hemodynamic measurements showed a slight increase in the heart rate pulse pressure product, indicating a very little increase in the O2 consumption of the myocardium during the sauna bath, especially compared to the increase during the cycle test. For coronary patients without serious complications, 10 min in sauna bath adds a minimal risk.