|
|
Roller Coasters Present Heart Attack Risks
According to a recent German study reported at the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2005, the adrenaline rush produced by roller coaster rides can speed up the heart thereby triggering an irregular heartbeat that could put people with pre-existing heart disease at risk of having a cardiovascular event.
The study involved 37 men and 18 women agreed to wear a continuous 12-hour Holter electrocardiogram before, during and after riding the roller coaster. The researchers found that some of those who rode the roller coaster had an increased heart rate that could cause an irregular heart beat, called arrhythmias. Arrhythmias have been associated with heart attacks and sudden cardiac death.
As a result of these findings, researchers suggested that roller coaster operators have an external defibrillator on hand. Riders’ heart rates increased dramatically during and after each roller coaster ride. Stress was seen to contribute to the rise in heart rates of riders, particularly in women who averaged higher maximum heart rates than men.
Thirty of the participants were riding roller coasters for the first time. Eight had a little experience, and 17 rode roller coasters often. The tests took place on the "Expedition GeForce," at the Holiday Park in Hassioch, Germany. The ride lasted 120-seconds, starting with a slow ascent to 203.4 feet above the ground, followed by a free fall and changes in gravity of 6 Gs in four seconds, and a maximum speed of 75 miles per hour.
All participants had a thorough physical examination before taking part in the study to make sure none had heart disease.
Before riding the roller coaster, participants' average resting heart rate was 91 beats per minutes (bpm), which is in the normal range. After just over one minute on the ride, the riders' maximum heart rates increased to an average of 153 beats per minute. The highest average heart rate rise (34 bpm) took place during the ascent.
The varying degrees of roller coaster experience made no significant differences in the riders’ average heart rates. Some 44% of those studied had marked sinus arrhythmias that lasted up to five minutes after the ride, and one patient had an arrhythmia during the middle of the ride.
|
|
|
