Abstract

Background. According to the World Health 2002, ischaemic heart disease (IHD) is the most common heart disease. Of 56 million deaths registered worldwide in 2001, morę than 29% were due to cardiovascular disease, and morę 12% we-re secondary to ischaemic heart disease. Common sequelae of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery include mu-sculoskeletal dysfunctions and respiratory problems. The purpose ofthis work was to evaluate exercise tolerance in patients after CABG surgery. Material and methods. The study involved 20 ischaemic heart disease sufferers, aged 49-82 years, ąualified for a CABG procedurę under extracorporeal circulation. The patients completed a rehabilitation programme designed at the cardiac surgery department. Exercise tolerance was evaluated with the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) before surgery and on post-operative Day 7. Results. The results ofthe 6-minute walk test were statistically significant in younger patients and in those without a hi-story ofmyocardial infarction. Conclusions. There was a correlation between the left ventricular ejection fraction and the results of the 6-minute walk test.

Key words:

ischaemic heart disease, coronary artery bypass grafting, exercise