Exercises help heart surgery patients recover-study

CHICAGO, Oct 18 (Reuters) Two weeks of breathing exercises before heart bypass surgery can cut the risk of pneumonia and other lung problems after heart bypass surgery, according to a study published.

''We consider this to be an important presurgical intervention that appears to be effective at reducing'' post-surgery deaths, the report from the University Medical Center, Utrecht, the Netherlands said yesterday.

The study centered on patients deemed to be at high risk for postoperative lung problems -- those with diabetes, a history of smoking, bad coughs, obesity and other complications.

The study was based on 279 heart surgery patients with a high risk of developing lung problems following surgery done between 2002 and 2005. Some were given presurgical exercises and some received standard care.

After surgery, lung problems affected 18 per cent of the patients who had exercise training compared to 25 per cent in the group who did not. The incidence of pneumonia was 6.5 per cent in the trained group compared to more than 16 per cent among those given usual care, the study found.

The training involved daily exercises for at least two weeks in breathing and forced expiration techniques.

The study, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, said that while heart bypass surgery has become more commonplace, the rate of post-operative breathing-related problems has not declined, perhaps because the surgery is now done on more fragile patients at high risk for pulmonary complications.

Reuters DKA DB0925