Cardiac Rehabilitation Increases the Reliability of the 6-Minute Walk Test in Patients After Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery
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1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cumhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine, Sivas, Turkey.
Insights
Cardiac rehabilitation improves functional exercise capacity in patients after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) becomes a more reliable measure of functional capacity post-rehabilitation, influenced by factors like VO2 max.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Exercise Physiology
Background:
- Limited data exist on functional exercise capacity post-cardiac rehabilitation in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients.
- The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is a key measure of functional capacity, but its reliability after CABG surgery needs further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify clinical and biochemical factors influencing 6-minute walk test (6MWT) results in patients following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery.
- To assess the impact of a 3-month cardiac rehabilitation program on functional exercise capacity measured by the 6MWT.
Main Methods:
- Prospective data collection from 56 CABG patients undergoing a 3-month cardiac rehabilitation program.
- Retrospective analysis of clinical, biochemical, echocardiographic, and 6MWT data at baseline and post-rehabilitation.
- Correlation analysis to determine factors affecting 6MWT performance.
Main Results:
- Before rehabilitation, 6MWT was negatively correlated with Body Mass Index (BMI) and body diameters, and positively with metabolic equivalent (MET) values.
- After rehabilitation, 6MWT remained negatively correlated with BMI and body diameters but showed stronger positive correlations with MET and VO2 max.
- VO2 max and FEV1/FEVC were significant positive predictors of 6MWT performance before rehabilitation; VO2 max remained a significant predictor after rehabilitation.
Conclusions:
- Cardiac rehabilitation enhances the reliability of the 6MWT in CABG patients.
- Improved pulmonary function post-rehabilitation lessens its confounding effect on 6MWT results.
- The 6MWT provides a more dependable assessment of functional capacity after cardiac rehabilitation.
Background:
Few data are available on the capacity for functional exercise after cardiac rehabilitation in patients who have undergone coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical and biochemical factors that affect the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) results in patients who have undergone CABG.
Methods:
Data were prospectively collected from 56 patients consecutively admitted at our hospital between January 2013 and May 2015 for a 3-month cardiac rehabilitation program. Data were analysed retrospectively up to 90 days after cardiac surgery. In addition to clinical and biochemical parameters, the functional capacity of patients was evaluated by an exercise 6-minute walking test and echocardiography. Functional capacity was evaluated at baseline and after three months of cardiac rehabilitation. Results: Before cardiac rehabilitation, the 6MWT values were negatively correlated with Body Mass Index (BMI) and abdominal and buttock diameters (r = -0.375, -0.386, and -0.370, respectively; P < .05), and were positively correlated with metabolic equivalent (MET) values (r = 0.493, P < .05). After cardiac rehabilitation, the 6MWT values were negatively correlated with body mass index (BMI) and abdominal and buttock diameters (r = -0.382, -0.274, and -0.405, respectively; P < .05) and were positively correlated with MET and VO2 max values (r = 0.456 and 0.573, respectively; P < 0.05). Before cardiac rehabilitation, VO2 max and FEV1/FEVC values were found as factors that significantly increased 6MWT values (P < .05). After cardiac rehabilitation, VO2 max values were found as factors that significantly increased 6MWT values (P < .05).
Conclusion:
Overall, in current clinical settings, cardiac rehabilitation increases the reliability of the 6MWT. Improvement in pulmonary function after cardiac rehabilitation reduces the impact of pulmonary function on 6MWT values. The functional capacity of patients may be more reliably determined by 6MWT after cardiac rehabilitation.
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