Periodic exposure to high ambient temperatures has been used in clinical trials at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Boston, as an adjunct to treatment of patients with chronic renal failure.
This use has enabled physicians to liberalize fluid intake and still maintain fluid balance in patients on dialysis. Fluid intake is usually restricted in such patients to avoid hypertension.
Although patients with chronic uremia often manifest a reduced ability to sweat, this is usually not a problem when they are placed in a high ambient temperature, D. Snyder, MD, told the annual meeting in Atlantic City of The American Society for Artificial Organs.
Sauna Bath
In a study of 16 patients with renal failure, Dr. Snyder and his co-worker John P. Merrill, MD, used a commercially available sauna bath measuring 5 × 7 feet × 30 inches to obtain the desired environment control.Patients were placed in the dry heat for