Immediate effect of hot chest pack on cardio-respiratory functions in healthy volunteers: A randomized cross-over study

Abstract

BackgroundThe chest pack is one of the most common hydrotherapy procedures. Though the hot chest pack (HCP) is commonly employed by many practitioner to improve various cardio-respiratory problems, there is no scientific report validating its effect on either cardiovascular or respiratory functions. The current study has been conducted to evaluate the effect of cardio-respiratory functions in healthy volunteers. Materials and methodsThirty healthy female volunteers with the age range of 18–24 years were recruited and randomly divided into 2-groups. Subjects of both the groups underwent 20-min each of HCP (study session) and supine rest (SR - control session) sessions in 2-different orders. In the first group, 15 subjects underwent HCP on day-1 and SR on day-2, while in the second group the order of intervention was reversed. Assessments were taken before and after each session. Statistical analysis was performed using statistical package for the social sciences, version 16. ResultsA significant reduction in systolic blood pressure was observed both in study and control sessions. However, a significant reduction in diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure, pulse rate, rate pressure product (RPP) and double product (Do-P), along with a significant improvement in peak expiratory flow rate, was observed only in the HCP session. Reduction in RPP and Do-P was better in the HCP session than in the control session. ConclusionResults of this study suggest that 20min of HCP might be effective in improving cardio-respiratory functions of healthy volunteers.