Adverse cardiac outcomes after pulmonary function testing with recent myocardial infarction

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Pulmonology
• Critical Care Medicine

Background:

• Current guidelines contraindicate pulmonary function testing (PFT) within one month of myocardial infarction (MI) based on expert opinion.
• The safety of performing PFTs in patients with recent MI prior to major cardiac surgery remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the safety and impact of pulmonary function testing (PFT) performed within one month of myocardial infarction (MI) in patients undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 136 patients undergoing CABG surgery.
• Identified 21 patients who underwent PFTs within one month of MI (MI + PFT group).
• Compared post-operative outcomes between the MI + PFT group and other CABG patients.

Main Results:

• The MI + PFT group experienced zero incidence of MI or serious cardiac arrhythmia between PFTs and surgery.
• No significant differences were observed in post-operative outcomes between the MI + PFT group and the general CABG patient cohort.
• This suggests PFTs may be safe in the early post-MI period for select patients.

Conclusions:

• Pulmonary function testing (PFT) appears to be safe within one month of myocardial infarction (MI) in patients subsequently undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery.
• The findings challenge the current guideline contraindication for PFTs in the early post-MI period.
• Further prospective studies are warranted to confirm these findings in larger patient populations.