The effect of local heat therapy on physiologic parameters of patients with acute coronary syndrome: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) is a common cardiovascular disease. In patients with this disease, symptom management is performed both pharmacologically and non-pharmacologically. One of the non-pharmacologic symptom management interventions is chest local heat therapy. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of chest local heat therapy on physiologic parameters in patients with ACS. We conducted this randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial in 2013—during six months in Cardiac Care Unit of 22 Bahman hospital in Gonabad, Iran. In this study, we randomly allocated 66 patients with ACS to two placebo and experimental groups. Patients in the experimental and control groups received chest local heat therapy by using a hot pack warmed to 50°C and 37°C respectively. Local heat therapy was administered for four 23-minute sessions in the anterior part of the chest. The levels of patients’ heart rate, respiratory rate, arterial blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation were measured both before and after the intervention. Data collection tools consisted of a demographic questionnaire and a data sheet for recording physiologic parameters. Data were analyzed by using SPSS 16 software and descriptive and inferential statistical tests. there was no significant difference in the two groups before and after the intervention in terms of systolic and diastolic blood pressure as well as heart rate. However, in compare with before the intervention, systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the experimental group were decreased significantly (p<0.05). Moreover, before the intervention, there was no significant difference in the two groups in terms of respiratory rate and oxygen saturation. However, after the intervention, respiratory rate in the experimental group in compare with before the intervention and placebo group were decreased significantly and oxygen saturation was increased significantly (p<0.05). The study findings confirmed the effectiveness of local heat therapy in improving physiologic parameters in patients with ACS.