Early moderate intensity walking improves walking distance and quality of recovery after coronary artery bypass grafting – a comparative study

Patients recovering from coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) are particularly vulnerable to impaired functional capacity, as well as quality of recovery because in addition to the direct effect of heart disease on cardiac performance, the surgical procedure and preoperative factors also contribute to loss of function. Early moderate intensity walking protocols can be effective in improving the health status of these patients. Still, there is hardly any evidence about the effect of early moderate intensity walking after CABG in the patients having high risk preoperative status for pulmonary complications. Therefore, this study has been designed to compare the effects of early moderate intensity walking on walking distance and quality of recovery, in two different groups of patients, with varying preoperative status. The study was set up as a 2-group, non-randomised comparative experimental design. 30 subjects, 27 males and 3 females, with a mean age of 55.2±6.7 years were included in the study. All the patients were mobilised early as per the early moderate intensity walking protocol. A six minute walk distance (6MWD) and a quality of recovery questionnaire were taken as outcome measures. Both groups showed significant improvement in 6MWD, but no statistical significant difference was found between the groups in improvement of 6MWD. Quality of recovery was also similar between the groups. Results indicate that the early moderate intensity walking can be implemented even on high risk patients with no adverse clinical sequelae. Thus, the early moderate intensity walking can be prescribed safely even to high risk patients.