[Blood pressure and pulse rate changes immediately after bathing and immediately after leaving the bath in elderly people living in the community].

INTRODUCTION

Although the number of deaths in bathtubs in homes and residential facilities for the elderly has been decreasing slightly since 2017, it is still 4,900 (2019), which is almost twice the number of traffic accident deaths.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate blood pressure and pulse fluctuations in community-dwelling elderly people during bathing, and to examine the alert range to determine when heat shock occurs.

METHODS

Ten elderly men (72.6±3.4/67-78) living in the community were subjected to a 6-minute full-body bath in a bath with a temperature of 41°C, and their blood pressure (SBP, DBP) and pulse (PR) were measured.

RESULTS

The SBP of the group whose PR increased by 15/min or more from before bathing to 30 seconds after bathing increased by about 30 mmHg. In the group where PR increased by 15/min or more, the pulse pressure (PP) increased by about 30 mmHg, and in the double product (DP), the abnormal increase of 5,000 DP or more was observed from before bathing to 30 seconds after bathing.

DISCUSSION: In the group where PR increased by 15/min or more from before bathing to 30 seconds after bathing, there is a possibility of cerebral hemorrhage immediately after bathing, dizziness, and falls. Analysis of pulse pressure (PP) and double product (DP) also suggests that the burden on the heart is applied 30 seconds after bathing, and sufficient attention is required.