Background and Aim: Treatment and management of the symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are very important. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological measures have been used for the relief of symptoms in these patients. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of local heat therapy on physiologic parameters in the patients with ACS.

Methods and Materials: In this randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial we randomly allocated 50 patients with acute coronary syndrome to either placebo or experimental groups. Patients in the experimental group received chest local heat therapy by using a hot pack warmed to 50°C, and the control group received the same therapy by a hot pack warmed to 37°C. Local heat therapy was administered for four 23-minute sessions for two consecutive days. Heart rate, respiratory rate, arterial blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation were measured before and after the study. We used a questionnaire for demographic data and a data sheet for recording physiologic parameters. Using SPSS v. 16, data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and statistical tests such as paired and independent t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test and Wilcoxon signed rank test.

Results: Before and after the study, the groups did not differ significantly in terms of diastolic blood pressure and heart rate. There were no significant differences between the groups in relation to systolic blood pressure, respiratory rate and oxygen saturation before the intervention. However, after intervention, systolic blood pressure (p<0/001) and respiratory rate (p=0/027) decreased and oxygen saturation increased significantly (p=0/003) in the experimental group compared to those in the control group.

Conclusion: The study findings confirmed the effectiveness of local heat therapy in improving physiologic parameters in the patients with ACS.

Keywords: Acute coronary syndrome, Local heat therapy, Physiologic parameters.

Received: Jul 27, 2016      Accepted: Nov 14, 2016