Pre-Transplant Aerobic Capacity and Prolonged Hospitalization After Liver Transplantation

Effects of an active lifestyle on the physical frailty of liver transplant candidates

BACKGROUND

Liver transplantation is the most important therapeutic intervention for end-stage liver disease (ELD). The prioritization of these patients is based on the model for end-stage liver disease (MELD), which can successfully predict short-term mortality. However, despite its great validity and value, it cannot fully incorporate several comorbidities of liver disease, such as sarcopenia and physical frailty, variables that can sufficiently influence the survival of such patients. Subsequently, there is growing interest in the importance of physical frailty in regard to mortality in liver transplant candidates and recipients, as well as its role in improving their survival rates.

AIM

To evaluate the effects of an active lifestyle on physical frailty on liver transplant candidates.

METHODS

An observational study was performed within the facilities of the Department of Transplant Surgery of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Twenty liver transplant candidate patients from the waiting list of the department were included in the study. Patients that were bedridden, had recent cardiovascular incidents, or had required inpatient treatment for more than 5 d in the last 6 mo were excluded from the study. The following variables were evaluated: Activity level via the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ); functional capacity via the 6-min walking test (6MWT) and cardiopulmonary exercise testing; and physical frailty via the Liver Frailty Index (LFI).

RESULTS

According to their responses in the IPAQ, patients were divided into the following two groups based on their activity level: Active group (A, 10 patients); and sedentary group (S, 10 patients). Comparing mean values of the recorded variables showed the following results: MELD (A: 12.05 ± 5.63 vs S: 13.99 ± 3.60; P > 0.05); peak oxygen uptake (A: 29.78 ± 6.07 mL/kg/min vs S: 18.11 ± 3.39 mL/kg/min; P < 0.001); anaerobic threshold (A: 16.71 ± 2.17 mL/kg/min vs S: 13.96 ± 1.45 mL/kg/min; P < 0.01); 6MWT (A: 458.2 ± 57.5 m vs S: 324.7 ± 55.8 m; P < 0.001); and LFI (A: 3.75 ± 0.31 vs S: 4.42 ± 0.32; P < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

An active lifestyle can be associated with better musculoskeletal and functional capacity, while simultaneously preventing the evolution of physical frailty in liver transplant candidates. This effect appears to be independent of the liver disease severity.

Effectiveness of Perioperative Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation in Patients With Lung Cancer Undergoing Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery

Objectives

Patients with lung cancer pose a high risk of morbidity and mortality after lung resection. Those who receive perioperative cardiopulmonary rehabilitation (PRCR) have better prognosis. Peak oxygen consumption (peak VO₂), VO₂ at the ventilatory threshold (VO₂ at VT), and slope of minute ventilation to carbon dioxide production (V_E/V_CO2 slope) measured during pre-surgical cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) have prognostic values after lung resection. We aimed to investigate the influence of individualized PRCR on postoperative complications in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) for lung cancer with different pre-surgical risks.

Methods

This was a retrospective study. We recruited 125 patients who underwent VATS for lung cancer between 2017 and 2021. CPET was administered before surgery to evaluate the risk level and PRCR was performed based on the individual risk level defined by peak VO2, VO2 at VT, and VE/VCO2 slope, respectively. The primary outcomes were intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital lengths of stay, endotracheal intubation time (ETT), and chest tube insertion time (CTT). The secondary outcomes were postoperative complications (PPCs), including subcutaneous emphysema, pneumothorax, pleural effusion, atelectasis, infection, and empyema.

Results

Three intergroup comparisons based on the risk level by peak VO2 (3 groups), VO2 at VT (2 groups), and VE/VCO2 slope (3 groups) were done. All of the comparisons showed no significant differences in both the primary and secondary outcomes (p = 0.061–0.910).

Conclusion

Patients with different risk levels showed comparable prognosis and PPCs after undergoing CPET-guided PRCR. PRCR should be encouraged in patients undergoing VATS for lung cancer.

Effects of supervised exercise on aerobic capacity and quality of life in patients with chronic liver disease and patients who underwent liver transplantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Chronic liver disease and liver transplantation are risk factors for poor physical health and quality of life. This meta-analysis aimed to examine whether supervised exercise improves the physical health and quality of life in patients with chronic liver disease and liver transplant. Articles were searched in four databases (MEDLINE, Cochrane, Embase, and the Web of Science) from 1 January 1990 to 6 July 2021. Studies that assessed the change in aerobic capacity and quality of life following supervised exercise in patients with chronic liver disease or in those who had undergone liver transplantation were included in this meta-analysis. The two independent reviewers extracted data and the methodological quality of the included studies was assessed by the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The extracted data were statistically analyzed using review management software (RevMan 5.3). The meta-analysis included 11 studies, comprising 159 patients. We observed that aerobic capacity measured as VO2 peak and 6-min walking test improved in patients with chronic liver disease and liver transplant after supervised exercise. Among the parameters of Short-form-36 (SF-36) used for measuring the quality of life, only physical functioning improved after supervised exercise. The other parameters of SF-36 including role-physical, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role-emotional, and mental health were not significantly improved after supervised exercise. Supervised exercise seems essential for patients with chronic liver disease and liver transplant. It was found to be helpful in enhancing the aerobic capacity and physical function in these patients.

Exercise Capacity and Respiratory Profile in Patients after Orthopedic Liver Transplantation: a Follow-up Study

INTRODUCTION

We sought to describe: 1) The influence of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) on exercise capacity, pulmonary function and respiratory muscle strength after surgery, 2) The relationship between exercise capacity and symptoms of anxiety and depression.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

This is a prospective follow up study conducted with patients submitted to OLT. All patients were assessed before and 1 month after surgery through measurements: six minute walk test (6MWT), 6 min step test (6MST) and HADS (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). FEV1% (forced expiratory volume), maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) were measured in the pre-operative and on 1st, 3rd, 5th day and 1 month after surgery.

RESULTS

In 77 patients , 6MWD improved 20.2 m (95%CI 8.1-32.3) and 6MST improved 7.8 steps after surgery (95%CI 3.9-11.6). Change in 6 MWD and 6 MST did not correlated with change HADS. The FEV1% at each time point were 88.8 ± 21.3 before surgery, 32.9 ± 9.9 on 1st day, 39.6 ± 11.5 on 3rd day, 46 ± 12.1 on 5th day and 86.6 ± 21.1 one month after surgery. MIP and MEP values at each time point were -67.4 ± 23.2 and 79.7 ± 26 before surgery, -30.8 ± 12.3 and 36.4 ± 15.4 on 1st day, -38.6 ± 14.1 and 43.8 ± 17 on 3rd day, -45.8 ± 15.9 and 49.7 ± 18.7 on 5th day and -67.1 ± 29.4 and 80.9 ± 23.9 one month after surgery.

CONCLUSION

Exercise capacity was modestly increased after OLT without any correlation with symptoms of anxiety and depression. Pulmonary function and respiratory muscle strength decreased immediately after liver transplantation, and progressively recovered, returning to baseline values after 1 month.

Exercise as an intervention for patients with end-stage liver disease: Systematic review

BACKGROUND

Various etiologies of chronic liver disease often result in cirrhosis. Beside obvious liver-related complications, cirrhosis also leads to loss of muscle mass and decreased exercise capacity. In this study, our aim was to conduct a systematic review of literature to investigate the efficacy of exercise interventions in patients with cirrhosis.

METHOD

PubMed was used to perform the literature search. The mesh terms used were the following: (liver (and) cirrhosis (and) exercise or (exercise therapy)). The following terms were excluded: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). The search was limited to the English language and human research. The initial search was conducted on December 6, 2016 and re-reviewed May 2017.

RESULTS

Seven studies met selection criteria. Training interventions ranged between 4 and 14 weeks in duration with an exercise frequency of 3 to 5 days per week. Most studies demonstrated an increase in maximal oxygen consumption using gas exchange techniques. Two of 3 studies demonstrated increased distance covered in the 6-minute walk test. One study showed a clinically significant decrease in hepatic venous pressure gradient, while another showed a transient increase only during exercise. There were no adverse effects of the exercise program reported.

CONCLUSIONS

Exercise in selected patients with cirrhosis can have potential benefit in endurance and functional outcome measures without adverse effect from exercise.

2016 Focused Update: Clinical Recommendations for Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing Data Assessment in Specific Patient Populations

In the past several decades, cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) has seen an exponential increase in its evidence base. The growing volume of evidence in support of CPX has precipitated the release of numerous scientific statements by societies and associations. In 2012, the European Association for Cardiovascular Prevention & Rehabilitation and the American Heart Association developed a joint document with the primary intent of redefining CPX analysis and reporting in a way that would streamline test interpretation and increase clinical application. Specifically, the 2012 joint scientific statement on CPX conceptualized an easy-to-use, clinically meaningful analysis based on evidence-vetted variables in color-coded algorithms; single-page algorithms were successfully developed for each proposed test indication. Because of an abundance of new CPX research in recent years and a reassessment of the current algorithms in light of the body of evidence, a focused update to the 2012 scientific statement is now warranted. The purposes of this update are to confirm algorithms included in the initial scientific statement not requiring revision, to propose revisions to algorithms included in the initial scientific statement, to propose new algorithms based on emerging scientific evidence, to further clarify the application of oxygen consumption at ventilatory threshold, to describe CPX variables with an emerging scientific evidence base, to describe the synergistic value of combining CPX with other assessments, to discuss personnel considerations for CPX laboratories, and to provide recommendations for future CPX research.