Effects of sauna bath on heart failure : A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Sauna bath has potential as a lifestyle treatment modality for heart failure (HF). It is important to analyze the current evidence to help suggest paths of future study and potential for clinical application. Hypothesis: Sauna bath has a positive effect on HF patients. Methods: PubMed, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL databases were searched to identify randomized and nonrandomized controlled studies to compare effects of sauna bath with no sauna bath. Studies were searched for both infrared sauna bath and Finnish sauna bath. The strength of evidence was rated using a modified GRADE approach. Out of 1444 studies, nine met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Seve…