Rehabilitation of aged patients with bicycle ergometer after coronary surgery

This study was undertaken to assess the contraindications to rehabilitation by exercise testing on a bicycle ergometer and the tolerance of this procedure in elderly patients recovering from coronary surgery. One hundred and eighty-four patients aged over 65 years were included (Group I). The rehabilitation program consisted of exercise testing on admission period. The results were compared with those of 146 patients aged 65 or less (Group II). Twenty-six per cent of the elderly patients had a contraindications to this type of rehabilitation compared with only 4.8% in Group II. The main contraindications were extracardiac (21.7%), including infectious causes (4.3%), neuropsychiatric (3.3%), respiratory (2.7%) and rheumatological conditions (2.2%). Cardiac causes represented only 4.3% of the contraindications. In the patients undergoing the training program, the maximum power and the duration of exercise testing increased respectively from 81 +/- 17 to 97 +/- 21 watts (+21% ; p < 10(-3)) and 7 +/- 1.7 to 9 +/- 2 minutes (+28.6%, p < 10(-3)). The change in these parameters was comparable in the other group: 94.5+/- to 118 +/- 26 watts (+24.8% ; p < 10(-3)) and 8.5 +/- 1.9 to 10.9 +/- 2.4 minutes (+28.2% ; p < 10(-3)). On the other hand, the rate-pressure product decreased slightly in the elderly patients (-5.5% ; p = 0.07, compared with -13% in Group II, p = 0.001). Complications were rare: 1.6% of temporary interruption of a session (versus 0.6%). No serious complications were observed. The authors conclude that, after coronary surgery, the majority of elderly coronary patients can participate in physical training programs on bicycle ergometers without major complications. In the absence of contraindications, patients, and even elderly patients, should be encouraged to enroll for these programs after coronary bypass surgery.