7 Which affects reduced aerobic power more in patients with CHD and atrial fibrillation, age or bodyweight?

BackgroundObesity is a key risk factor for atrial fibrillation (AF) and CHD patients with AF are normally older than those patients without AF. Ageing and body mass both have an impact on an individual’s aerobic functional capacity (aerobic power; VO2max/peak).AimThe aim of the study was to evaluate the proportional influences of both age and body mass on VO2 peak in CHD rehabilitation (CR) participants with and without AF.MethodsRetrospective analysis of cardiopulmonary exercise test data from previous studies, involving CR participants with and without persistent AF, were analysed in relation to age, body mass, relative VO2peak (ml/kg/min) and absolute VO2peak (ml/min). Differences between the two populations were assessed via independent T-tests with alpha set at p < .05, calculated in SPSS software version 23.ResultsCR participants with AF (n = 30; 70.7 years) vs. those without AF (n = 68; 56.9 years) were 14 years older (p