Assessing fitness for surgery: a comparison of questionnaire, incremental shuttle walk, and cardiopulmonary exercise testing in general surgical patients

Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing as a Predictor of Postoperative Outcome in Patients Undergoing Oesophageal Cancer Surgery Following Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

OBJECTIVE

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves resectability rates of oesophageal cancer, but the process may also take a toll on the patients' exercise capacity and may adversely affect the postoperative outcomes. It can be assessed objectively using cardiopulmonary exercise testing.

METHODS

Patients with oesophagus cancer performed a baseline test and a second test after neoadjuvant chemotherapy during the week preceding oesophagectomy. They were followed up for postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and 30-day mortality.

RESULTS

Thirty-three patients completed the study. The mean pre-chemotherapy peak oxygen uptake (VO2 peak) was 1128.39 ± 202.79 mL min-1 (19.46 ± 3.06 mL kg-1 min-1 ) which declined to 1010.33 ± 195.56 mL min-1 (17.24 ± 2.55 mL kg-1 min-1 ) in the postchemotherapy period (P < .001). Pre-chemotherapy anaerobic threshold was 906.85 ± 176.81 mL min-1 (15.54 ± 2.24 mL kg-1 min-1 ) which declined to 764.76 ± 158.79 mL min-1 (13.01 ± 2.22 mL kg-1 min-1 ) (P < .001) in the post-chemotherapy period. Six patients developed complications of modified Clavien-Dindo grade 3 and above. Two (6.1%) patients succumbed to complications within 30 days. The mean anaerobic threshold in patients who suffered complications modified Clavien-Dindo grade ≥3 was 693.33 ± 140.99 mL min-1 (11.2 ± 1.17 mL kg-1 min-1 ) while patients with mild to moderate complications had a mean anaerobic threshold 13.41 ± 2.21 mL kg-1 min-1 (P < .006). An optimal cut off value for anaerobic threshold was 12.5 mL kg-1 min-1 Conclusion: Cardiopulmonary exercise testing accurately predicts outcomes in cancer oesophagus patients who undergo neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by surgery.