Influence of power and aerobic exercise training on haemostatic factors after coronary artery surgery

To determine the effects of aerobic and power exercise training on haemostatic factors after coronary artery surgery and to compare the effect of the two exercise programmes.

A prospective randomised controlled study of six months aerobic and power exercise training in men after coronary artery surgery.

Exercise rehabilitation classes in a teaching hospital in Glasgow.

55 men within 12 months of coronary artery surgery recruited from surgical centres and medical clinics and asked to participate in the study.

Assessments, including a treadmill test, measurements of haemoglobin, platelet, fibrinogen, factor VIIc, and fibrinopeptide A concentrations, and packed cell volume, done at baseline, three months, and six months. Patients in the two exercise groups attended training sessions three times weekly for six months. Control patients had no formal exercise training but continued with their leisure time activities.

Exercise performance on a treadmill, haematology, and haemostatic factor assays at baseline, three months, and six months.

In the aerobic trained group exercise performance increased significantly over baseline at three months (interval change 146.7, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 52.5 to 240.9 s, p = 0.003) and was maintained at six months (interval change 172.1, 95% CI 63.3 to 280.9 s, p = 0.002). In the power trained groups significant improvement in exercise performance was delayed until six months (interval change 99.9 s, 95% CI 20.3 to 170.5 s, p = 0.01). Exercise performance in the control did not change significantly. Haemoglobin, concentration, packed cell volume, and platelet counts did not change significantly at any time. Fibrinogen concentration was significantly lower in the aerobic group than the other two groups at three months (2.96 g/dl compared with 3.3 g/dl and 3.87 g/dl in the power and control groups, p = 0.01). The power group had a lower fibrinogen concentration than the control group (p = 0.04). The lower fibrinogen concentration in the aerobic group was maintained at six months. There was a gradual rise in factor VIIc concentrations in the aerobic and control groups compared with a small fall in the power group. Fibrinopeptide A concentrations showed no consistent changes.

Aerobic exercise training after coronary artery surgery causes an early favourable change in treadmill performance and in fibrinogen concentrations, that is maintained with further training. Power exercise training causes delayed benefit in treadmill performance. It also causes a small fall in fibrinogen concentrations. These changes may be relevant in reducing cardiovascular morbidity from graft failure and occurrence of myocardial infarction after coronary artery surgery.