Whole-Body Hyperthermia
Whole-body hyperthermia in a hospital: how the treatment runs
Whole-body hyperthermia raises the core body temperature under controlled medical conditions. At St. George Hospital in Bad Aibling, Germany, physicians and nurses perform this treatment on a hospital ward. The hospital has performed more than 30,000 sessions. This page explains how a session runs: preparation, monitoring, exclusion criteria and aftercare. It also states what the evidence shows and what whole-body hyperthermia cannot do.
- 1991Founded in Bad Aibling
- 70Beds, one site
- 12,000+Lyme patients since 1995
- 30,000+Whole-body hyperthermia sessions
Who this page is for, and who it is not for
This page is for you if
- You have chronic Lyme disease, and you consider an inpatient programme that includes whole-body hyperthermia.
- You have cancer, you receive standard oncology treatment, and you ask whether hyperthermia can be added to this treatment.
- You have read about whole-body hyperthermia, and you want to know how the treatment runs in a hospital.
- You are a relative, and you want to understand what happens to the patient during a session.
This page is not for you if
- You have a medical emergency. St. George Hospital is a specialist hospital and has no emergency department. The emergency number in Germany is 112.
- You want a session without a medical assessment. The physicians recommend whole-body hyperthermia only after a thorough assessment of your diagnosis.
- You have cancer, and you look for a replacement for the treatment that your oncologist recommends. The hospital uses hyperthermia in addition to standard oncology treatment.
Whole-body hyperthermia is not suitable for every patient. The section on exclusion criteria below lists the conditions that the physicians check.
What the hospital does
The device and the temperature
You lie in a hyperthermia system that uses water-filtered infrared radiation. The system raises the body temperature gradually. Depending on the protocol, the core body temperature reaches between 38.5 and 42 °C. Whole-body hyperthermia at St. George Hospital
Three protocols for three groups of patients
- Lyme programme. The core Lyme module includes 2 sessions at 41.6 to 41.8 °C (106.9 to 107.2 °F). Each session holds this temperature for 120 minutes. The patient receives antibiotics intravenously during the session. The hospital calls this protocol antibiotic-augmented thermoeradication (AAT). This term is the name of the protocol and does not describe a guaranteed result. The minimum target temperature of the AAT protocol is 41.6 °C. The protocol sets this minimum because laboratory studies show that Borrelia bacteria are sensitive to heat. The Lyme treatment protocol
- Integrative oncology. The hospital uses whole-body hyperthermia alongside chemotherapy or immunotherapy. The physician sets the temperature and the number of sessions for each patient. The integrative oncology programme
- ME/CFS. The hospital uses mild whole-body hyperthermia at 38.5 to 39.5 °C. The team adapts each session to the limited energy of the patient. The ME/CFS programme
The responsible physicians
Dr. Martin Rößner, Chief Physician for Internal Medicine and Oncology, supervises the hyperthermia protocols. He adapts each treatment to the diagnosis and makes it part of the complete treatment plan. The hospital has used whole-body hyperthermia for more than 30 years. All forms of hyperthermia at the hospital
A different method: local-regional hyperthermia
Local-regional hyperthermia heats one region of the body, for example the region of a tumour, to 40 to 44 °C. A session takes about 60 minutes and needs no anaesthesia. What local-regional hyperthermia involves
How a session runs
- Screening before the first session. The physicians review your medical history and your blood tests. The screening includes special laboratory tests by ArminLabs. Before the first session you have an ECG and a lung function test. If needed, the physicians add an echocardiogram or a stress ECG. The purpose of this screening is to find reasons against the treatment.
- Preparation on the day. A physician checks your vital signs. You receive an intravenous line and a temperature probe. You lie down under the heating unit. A nurse stays at your bed.
- Heating phase. The system raises your body temperature gradually. Medical staff monitor your core temperature, heart rate, oxygen level and blood pressure continuously.
- Phase at the target temperature. The physician holds the temperature that your protocol defines, up to 42 °C. The session feels like a strong fever: you feel heat, you sweat, your pulse is fast and you are thirsty. You receive fluids by infusion. A nurse and a physician are with you. Sessions above 41 °C, which include the AAT protocol, are performed under sedation. In sessions at lower temperatures you can rest or sleep lightly.
- Supervised cooling phase. The staff lower your temperature in a controlled way and continue the monitoring.
- Rest after the session. A rest period follows. In the evening you will be very tired. Bring warm clothes for the time after the session.
- The following days. In the Lyme programme the two days after a session are for recovery and continued therapy. Some Lyme patients have a Herxheimer reaction, which is a temporary worsening of symptoms. The team monitors and treats this reaction.
The complete session takes 4 to 6 hours, including preparation and the first rest period.
Exclusion criteria
The physicians do not perform whole-body hyperthermia in patients with one of these conditions:
- severe disease of the heart or the blood vessels, or a recent heart attack
- epilepsy or another seizure disorder that is not controlled
- pregnancy
- an acute thrombosis
- severe anaemia
- active bleeding or a disorder of blood clotting
- brain metastases
The physician decides after the review of your records and after the screening. The hospital offers whole-body hyperthermia only within an inpatient programme.
How a stay runs, from your first message to aftercare
- Your inquiry. You write to the international patient office through the contact form. You describe your history and attach the records that you have. The office answers in English or German.
- Review of your records and video consultation. A physician reads your records. Then you speak with the physician by video, in English, before you book any travel. The physician tells you whether whole-body hyperthermia can be part of a programme for you.
- Written proposal. You receive a proposed programme, the expected length of stay and a non-binding cost estimate in writing. Nothing is booked before you have these documents.
- Travel and arrival. The international patient office arranges the transfer from Munich Airport. On the arrival day a nurse takes blood, and you meet your lead physician. The physician completes the treatment plan.
- Treatment. The sessions of whole-body hyperthermia are spread over the programme. On the other days you receive the other therapies of your plan.
- Discharge and aftercare. You receive a written treatment report in English and German for your home physician. Follow-up consultations take place by video.
Evidence and limits
Oncology. Clinical trials have studied whole-body hyperthermia mainly in oncology, in combination with chemotherapy or immunotherapy. International oncology guidelines name hyperthermia as an addition to standard cancer treatment. Local-regional hyperthermia is one of the most extensively researched forms of hyperthermia, and the guidelines of the European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology (ESHO) include it.
Lyme disease. Laboratory studies show that temperatures above 41 °C reduce the viability of Borrelia bacteria. The AAT protocol is built on this finding. The hospital has used whole-body hyperthermia for Lyme disease since 1995 and has treated more than 12,000 patients with Lyme disease.
ME/CFS and post-COVID syndrome. The hospital uses mild whole-body hyperthermia for these conditions within an individual treatment concept.
Individual concept. Whole-body hyperthermia for Lyme disease, ME/CFS and post-COVID syndrome is not part of guideline care. The physicians create an individual treatment concept for each patient after the diagnostics. The hospital performs therapies outside guideline care as an individual treatment attempt. Your physician explains the procedure and the current state of knowledge to you before you consent.
What whole-body hyperthermia cannot do. Whole-body hyperthermia is one part of a treatment plan. It does not replace antibiotic therapy, and it does not replace standard oncology treatment. The hospital does not promise results. How you respond shows during the programme and in the follow-up examinations.
Safety. Hyperthermia has an established safety profile when an experienced medical team performs it. Whole-body hyperthermia is an intensive procedure. For this reason the hospital performs it with continuous monitoring, with a nurse and a physician in the room.
Travel, length of stay, costs and languages
Travel
Munich Airport (MUC) is about 60 minutes from Bad Aibling by car. Salzburg Airport (SZG) is about 90 minutes from Bad Aibling by car. The international patient office arranges the transfer. The address of the hospital is Rosenheimer Str. 6-8, 83043 Bad Aibling, Germany.
Length of stay
The length of stay depends on the programme. The core Lyme module lasts 2 weeks. An integrative oncology programme lasts 2 to 4 weeks. An ME/CFS programme lasts 2 to 3 weeks.
Costs
This page does not list prices. The hospital works with treatment packages and always adapts them to the individual patient. After your inquiry and the review of your case, you receive a non-binding cost estimate in writing, before you travel. Treatment is self-pay. Costs and insurance
Languages
Our team speaks German and English. Correspondence, medical consultations and your stay are conducted in English or German.
For other languages, an interpreter can be booked on request.
Questions that patients ask about whole-body hyperthermia
How long does a session of whole-body hyperthermia take?
A session takes 4 to 6 hours. This time includes preparation, the heating phase, the phase at the target temperature, the supervised cooling phase and the first rest period.
What does a session feel like?
A session feels like a strong fever. You feel heat, you sweat, your pulse is fast and you are thirsty. You receive fluids through an intravenous line. You can rest or sleep lightly. A nurse and a physician are with you. In the evening after the session you will be very tired.
How many sessions will I have?
The core Lyme module includes 2 sessions in 2 weeks. In other programmes the physician recommends the number of sessions on the basis of your diagnosis and your treatment goals. The sessions are spread over the programme.
Who supervises the treatment?
Dr. Martin Rößner, Chief Physician for Internal Medicine and Oncology, supervises the hyperthermia protocols. During the session a nurse and a physician are with you. They monitor core temperature, heart rate, oxygen level and blood pressure continuously.
Is whole-body hyperthermia the same as fever therapy?
No. In whole-body hyperthermia a medical device heats the body from outside, and staff measure the core body temperature continuously. Fever therapy is a different procedure. In fever therapy the physician gives a bacterial preparation, and the body produces a fever in response.
Is whole-body hyperthermia the same as local-regional hyperthermia?
No. Local-regional hyperthermia heats one region of the body to 40 to 44 °C. A session takes about 60 minutes and needs no anaesthesia. The hospital uses local-regional hyperthermia mainly in oncology.
What does whole-body hyperthermia cost?
This page does not list prices. The hospital works with treatment packages and always adapts them to the individual patient. After your inquiry and the review of your case, you receive a non-binding cost estimate in writing, before you travel.
Request a consultation
A video consultation in English before you travel. A physician reviews your findings first; we reply by email within one business day (Mon–Fri).
Mon–Thu 08:00–17:00, Fri 08:00–14:00 (CET/CEST)+49 8061 398-0info@clinicum-stgeorg.de
St. George Hospital is a specialist hospital, not an emergency department. In a medical emergency in Germany, dial 112.