Safety, Acceptance, and Physiologic Effects of Sauna Bathing in People With Chronic Heart Failure: A Pilot Report

• Published in: Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitation Vol. 90; no. 1; pp. 173 - 177
• Main Authors: Basford, Jeffrey R., MD, PhD, Oh, Jae K., MD, Allison, Thomas G., PhD, MPH, Sheffield, Charles G., PT, Manahan, Barbara G., RDCS, Hodge, David O., MSci, Tajik, A. Jamil, MD, Rodeheffer, Richard J., MD, Tei, Chuwa, MD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 2009; Elsevier
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiac disease; Cardiology. Vascular system; Chronic Disease; Cross-Over Studies; Diseases of the osteoarticular system; Female; Heart; Heart failure; Heart Failure - blood; Heart Failure - classification; Heart Failure - rehabilitation; Heart failure, cardiogenic pulmonary edema, cardiac enlargement; Hemodynamics; Humans; Hyperthermia; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Miscellaneous; Patient Satisfaction; Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Pilot Projects; Radiotherapy. Instrumental treatment. Physiotherapy. Reeducation. Rehabilitation, orthophony, crenotherapy. Diet therapy and various other treatments (general aspects); Rehabilitation; Safety; Sauna; Steam Bath; Heart failure; CHF; NYHA; blood pressure; Sauna; Cardiac disease; MLWHFQ; chronic heart failure; BP; New York Heart Association; clinically important difference; Rehabilitation; Hyperthermia; CID; Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire; Toxicity; Cardiovascular disease; Chronic; Reeducation; Treatment; Heart disease; Orthopedics; Induced hyperthermia
• ISSN: 0003-9993; 1532-821X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2008.06.029

Abstract Basford JR, Oh JK, Allison TG, Sheffield CG, Manahan BG, Hodge DO, Tajik AJ, Rodeheffer RJ, Tei C. Safety, acceptance and physiologic effects of sauna bathing in people with chronic heart failure: a pilot report. Objectives To perform a pilot study and make a preliminary assessment of the safety and acceptance of supervised sauna bathing at moderate temperatures in people with chronic heart failure (CHF). Secondary measures included its impact on exercise tolerance and neuroendocrine concentrations. Design Randomized, controlled, cross-over trial. Setting Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinic. Participants Six men and 3 women (age, 62–87y) with New York Heart Association Class III and IV CHF. Interventions Subjects were randomized into 2 groups and told to maintain their normal medication and activity regimens. One group then began a 3-times-a-week, 4-week sauna bathing program at 60±1°C while the other continued with their usual activities and medications. Assignments were then reversed. Sessions were 15 minutes in length but were prolonged an additional 5 minutes for oral temperature increases less than 1.0°C. Main Outcome Measures Patient acceptance, Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLWHFQ) scores; treadmill exercise duration and plasma adrenaline, noradrenalin, aldosterone, atrial naturectic factor, adrenomedulin, and endothelin. Results Sauna bathing was well tolerated and no adverse effects were reported. Improvements in MLWHFQ scores and treadmill endurance did not achieve statistical significance on a between-group basis but were more marked after the sauna than during the control phase. Neuroendocrine concentrations showed no clear effect of sauna treatment with a between-group statistically significant difference ( P =.049) found only in the case of noradrenalin's 24% decrease. Conclusions Sauna bathing under the moderate and supervised conditions of this study appears to be well tolerated and may be safe for people with CHF. More research is needed to further evaluate the safety and potential benefits of this approach.