title: Ask the doctor. I spend part of every summer on the coast of Maine. One of the things I love to do there is swim in the ocean for 20 or 30 minutes. The water is cold (55° F) but I don't mind. I'm almost 80. I had my mitral valve repaired five years ago, and my heart rate is sometimes irregular. Are my cold-water swims okay for my heart?
authors: Massimo
authors: M
authors: Ferrigno
mesh_terms: D003080:Cold Temperature; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D019918:Heart Valve Prosthesis Implantation; D006801:Humans; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000601:surgery*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013550:Swimming / Q000502:physiology*