Exercise Capacity at Discharge of Postoperative Cardiac Surgery Patients: Influence of Pre-hospital Frailty

[Purpose] This study assessed the influence of frailty at one month pre-hospitalization on exercise capacity at discharge of postoperative cardiac surgery patients. [Participants and Methods] The participants were 32 postoperative cardiac surgery patients aged over 60 years who underwent scheduled open heart surgery. The subjects were categorized into two groups, a frail group (11 patients) and a non-frail group (21 patients), based on a cutoff of 8 points on the Kihon Check List (KCL). Pre-hospital frailty was investigated postoperatively using the KCL with a recall method. The groups were compared in terms of 6-minute walking distance, 4-m walking speed, grip strength, and knee extension muscle strength at hospital discharge. [Results] Patients with pre-hospital frailty accounted for 34.4% of the total. The frail group showed significantly lower 6-minute walking distance, 4-m walking speed, grip strength, and knee extension muscle strength. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the KCL score was a factor affecting the 6-minute walking distance. [Conclusion] The results suggest that the exercise tolerance of cardiac surgery patients at hospital discharge is affected by pre-hospital frailty.