Abstract

Background. The assessment of exercise tolerance in CABG patients has been the subject of research. However, the testing methods used, such as treadmill or cycle ergometer testing, require specialised equipment, the use of safety measures to protect the patient, and the assistance of qualified medical staff. The aim of this paper was to analyse the 6-minute walk test as used to assess exercise tolerance of CABG patients. A sun/ey was also developed and implemented to assess the impact of somatic cha-racteristics, co-existing medical conditions and coronary heart disease risk factors on exercise tolerance in these patients. Materiał and methods. The study involved 31 men with a history of coronary heart disease or myocardial infarction. The age rangę was 45-58 years, with a mean age of 51.5 years, mean body weight of 83.3 kg and mean height of 172.7 cm. Results. The results indicated considerable statistical significance between these characteristics. Conclusions. The walk test affords the possibility of assessing exercise tolerance in these patients, while also allowing phy-siotherapists to use the 6-minute walk test as a tool for assigning post-revascularisation patients to suitable rehabilitation pro-grammes. It should also be stated that the test is a simple and inexpensive supplement of clinical evaluation in such patients.

Key words:

coronary artery bypass grafting, corridor walk test, cardiological rehabilitation