Changes in exercise capacity and psychosocial factors in hospitalized cardiac surgery patients

After cardiac valve surgery, postoperative exercise capacity and psychosocial parameters of patients change significantly and both affect prognosis. This study aimed to analyze and clarify the relationship between changes in perioperative exercise capacity and psychosocial factors in the early phase after valvular surgery.
We enrolled 48 consecutive patients who underwent valvular surgery and studied their exercise capacity, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), anxiety disorders, depression symptoms, blood samples, and echocardiograms preoperatively and 14-day postoperatively.
At the preoperative evaluation, the peak maximal oxygen consumption was 17.7 ± 5.9 ml/kg/min and decreased by 14.3 ± 4.4 ml/kg/min after the surgery (P Exercise capacity was reduced approximately 20% during the postoperative period in patients who underwent valvular surgery, and changes in exercise capacity were related to changes in psychosocial factors, not only cardiac functions. Therefore, it is important to evaluate not only perioperative exercise capacity but also psychosocial indicators during postoperative cardiac rehabilitation programs.