Elective Cardiac Procedure Patients Have Low Preoperative Cardiorespiratory Fitness

Abstract

<p>Preoperative cardiorespiratory fitness may influence the recovery after cardiac procedure. The aim of this study was to investigate the cardiorespiratory fitness of patients scheduled for elective cardiac procedures, using a six-minute walk test, and compare the results with a population-based sample of Finnish adults. Patients (n=234) awaiting percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary angiography, coronary artery bypass grafting, aortic valve replacement or mitral valve surgery performed the six-minute walk test. VO₂max was calculated based on the walk test. The patients were compared to a population-based sample of 60–69-year-old Finnish adults from the FinFit2017 study. The mean six-minute walk test distances (meters) and VO₂max (ml/kg/min) of the patient groups were: 452±73 and 24.3±6.9 (coronary artery bypass grafting), 499±84 and 27.6±7.2 (aortic valve replacement), 496±85 and 27.4±7.3 (mitral valve surgery), and 519±90 and 27.3±6.9 (percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary angiography). The population-based sample had significantly greater walk test distance (623±81) and VO₂max (31.7±6.1) than the four patient groups (all p-values<0.001). All patient groups had lower cardiorespiratory fitness than the reference population of 60–69-year-old Finnish adults. Particularly the coronary artery bypass grafting group had a low cardiorespiratory fitness, and therefore might be prone to complications and challenging rehabilitation after the operation.<br></p>