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Assessment of arrhythmias and heart rate response in healthy adolescents performing face immersion and body submersion in ice-cold water
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Paediatrics.
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Diagnostics and Intervention.
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Clinical Sciences, Paediatrics.ORCID iD: 0000-0001-9655-7783
Umeå University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Diagnostics and Intervention.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1313-0934
2025 (English)In: Physiological Reports, E-ISSN 2051-817X, Vol. 13, no 13, article id e70430Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

As cold-water immersion becomes more popular and accessible, it is important to explore potential risks. This study examines the cardiac autonomic response and arrhythmia occurrence in healthy adolescents during face and body immersion. Healthy ninth-grade students, aged 15–16 years, were recruited to perform face immersion (FI) in 10°C water and body immersion in 2°C water (IWI). Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were continuously recorded, and the heart rate (HR) response and occurrence of arrhythmias were assessed. Among the 54 individuals performing FI, six had supraventricular extrasystoles, and two had ventricular bigeminy. Among the 20 performing IWI, four had supraventricular extrasystoles. The HR response was more pronounced during FI compared to IWI (p < 0.001). During both FI and IWI, girls showed initially higher HR and more pronounced HR reduction than boys, but there were no significant sex differences (p = 0.26). During the first 30 seconds of IWI, boys maintained a steady HR (p = 0.176), while girls experienced a near-linear reduction (p = 0.009). This study indicates a low risk of severe arrhythmias when briefly immersing the body in ice-cold water in healthy adolescents. However, the risk could increase if combined with face submersion and apnea.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
John Wiley & Sons, 2025. Vol. 13, no 13, article id e70430
Keywords [en]
adolescents, arrhythmias, cold-water immersion, face immersion, heart rate
National Category
Physiology and Anatomy
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-242254DOI: 10.14814/phy2.70430ISI: 001524083700001PubMedID: 40624837Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105010163519OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-242254DiVA, id: diva2:1984734
Available from: 2025-07-17 Created: 2025-07-17 Last updated: 2026-03-10Bibliographically approved

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Lundström, AnnaKarlsson, MarcusRydberg, AnnikaWiklund, Urban

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