Antihypertensive Effects of Three Days of Leg Bathing on a Patient With Stanford Type A Acute Aortic Dissection After Surgery: A Case Report

Thermal therapy is expected to have an antihypertensive effect associated with increased blood flow and vasodilation. Here, we report a case of postoperative aortic dissection in which leg bathing was effective for treating hypertension. A 50-year-old female (body mass index: 25.3 kg/m(2)) underwent emergency surgery for Stanford type A aortic dissection and started early mobilization the following day. Even on postoperative day (POD) 28, the patient had repeated deviations from the blood pressure limit (systolic pressure 90-140 mmHg) during a 200-m walk. Therefore, leg bathing (42°C for 20 minutes) before walking for three days was started on POD 38. No changes in medications or other medical interventions from POD 28 until discharge from the hospital were made. Mean blood pressure values during the seven days before leg bathing were 151/94 mmHg at rest and 168/107 mmHg after walking, with a maximum value of 180/113 mmHg. After leg bathing, blood pressure after walking was 147/96 mmHg on day 1, 149/96 mmHg on day 2, and 127/82 mmHg on day 3. The mean blood pressure values during the seven days after three days of leg bathing were 137/81 mmHg at rest, 147/89 mmHg after walking, and 167/97 mmHg at maximum, with no more deviations from the blood pressure limit at rest and a slight increase with exercise. Three days of leg bathing produced sufficient antihypertensive effects for this patient. The findings in this case indicate the need for comparative studies with a control group in the future.