DALLAS, Nov. 16 - Those heart-stopping roller coasters may be risky for those with existing heart disease, according to a German cardiologist.
The thrilling climbs and death-defying plunges that make roller coasters a popular attraction increased heart rates in 55 healthy men and women from 91 beats per minute to an average of 153 bpm, said Jurgen Kuschyk, M.D., a cardiologist at University Hospital in Mannheim, Germany.
Although both men and women registered marked increases in heart rate, they rose to an average of 165 bpm in women and 148.5 in men, Dr. Kuschyk reported at the American Heart Association meeting here today.
Action Points
- Be aware that the AHA advises that patients with heart disease who are concerned with the risk of riding roller coaster should discuss the risks with their physicians.
- These studies were published as abstracts and presented at a conference either as an oral or poster presentation. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary as they have not yet been reviewed and published in a peer-reviewed publication.
Moreover, 44% of the riders had sinus arrhythmias that persisted for five minutes. One rider had an arrhythmia in the middle of the ride and another had a self-terminating episode of atrial fibrillation during the ride.
The 120-second ride started with a slow climb to just over 203 feet, followed by a free fall that generated gravity of 6G at a speed of about 75 miles an hour. Surprisingly, the heart rate increases were driven by an average 34 bpm jump during the climb to the top of the first hill.
Dr. Kuschyk had hypothesized that heart rate changes would be triggered by G-force stress on the heart. But, in fact, he said the "fear and anxiety experienced during the climb appear to drive the increases in heart rate," he said.
All volunteers were fitted with 12-channel Holter monitors that recorded heart rates before, during and after riding "Expedition GeForce," a roller coaster at Holiday Park in Hassloch.
Dr. Kuschyk speculated that in the presence of known heart disease similar increases in blood pressure could "increase the risk of myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, or dangerous arrhythmias."
He concluded that "heart patients should be advised to avoid roller coasters."
Former AHA president Lynn Smaha, M.D., Ph.D., of Sayre, Pa., said in an interview that such a recommendation would be premature. He noted that "pilots who have had elective angioplasty can be re-certified to fly. They are fixed. So, I think that a patient who has had successful treatment of coronary artery disease could probably ride a roller coaster."
That said, Dr. Smaha said that some patients, for instance, those with unstable angina, and those with implantable cardioverter defibrillators or pacemakers, "probably should talk to their doctors before riding a roller coaster."
The roller-coaster study took on added gravity when an Orlando television station reported that a four-year-old Florida boy died after he developed riding a "rocket-ship" ride at Disney World in Orlando. The Orange County Medical Examiner's Office said the boy's death was the result of a fatal arrhythmia related to congenital heart disease.
In the television report, the station linked the boy's death to Dr. Kuschyk's study. That prompted an official response from the AHA, which issued a statement pointing out that there were no children in Dr. Kuschyk's study.
The AHA stated that while Dr. Kuschyk's study is interesting "the study is not large enough and doesn't provide enough data to indicate whether there would be any correlation between riding a roller coaster and cardiovascular events in healthy individuals." Additionally, because no children were included in the study, the study "does not offer any data relevant to the tragic death reported," said the AHA.
The AHA statement also pointed out that the incidence of "arrhythmias and sudden cardiac arrest in young healthy individuals is very low, but underlying heart conditions such as hypertrophic and viral cardiomyopathies can predispose children and young adults to serious arrhythmias and even cardiac arrest."
Children who have "unexplained fainting incidents" should be evaluated by their physicians, the AHA advised.
Related articles:
Primary Source
American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2005
Source Reference: Kuschyk J "Modern Roller Coaster Rides: A Potential Cardiovascular Risk? First Systematic Analysis of Cardiovascular Response to Extreme G-Forces in Untrained Volunteers" Poster 3290 November 16