ABSTRACT
Effects of 38°C 30-minute bathing on hemostatic function and autonomic nervous function were studied in 15 48-to-72-year-old patients with cerebral infarction. Blood samples were collected three times: immediately before the bathing, at the end of 30 minutes of bathing, and 30 minutes after the bathing. Hematocrit values and fibrinogen concentrations decreased during bathing and returned to the pre-bathing levels 30 minutes after bathing. This indicates that bathing caused hemodilution due to the fluid shift. During bathing, noradrenaline decreased at a rate significantly higher than that of hemodilution while the sympathetic nervous function, which was evaluated by spectral analysis of sequential variation in arterial blood pressure, was not suppressed. The autonomic nervous system seemed to be inactive in these patients. Coagulation time (PT and APTT) and platelet factor (β-TG and PF4) showed few changes. In the fibrinolytic system, however, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) antigen levels increased and plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) levels decreased after 30 minutes of bathing. This suggests that fibrinolytic activity was enhanced by 38°C bathing for 30 minutes. Thus, subthermal bathing with comfort may be useful in preventing cerebral infarction.