Effect of Cardiac Rehabilitation on Glomerular Filtration Rate Using Serum Cystatin C Concentration in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease and Renal Dysfunction.

PURPOSE: Among patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), little is known about whether the effect of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on renal function differs across baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate using the serum concentration of cystatin C (eGFRcys). The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of CR on renal function in patients with CKD. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients with CKD (15 ≤ eGFRcys < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2) who participated in our CR program for cardiovascular disease. First, the patients were divided into three groups according to the baseline severity of the eGFRcys: G3a, G3b, and G4 groups. We compared the eGFRcys before and after the CR in each group. Second, to determine the association of baseline eGFRcys with the effect of CR, we fitted a linear regression model using the percent change in the eGFRcys (%ΔeGFRcys) as an outcome. RESULTS: Of the 203 patients, 122 were in G3a, 60 were in G3b, and 21 were in G4 groups. The mean improvement of eGFRcys in each group was 1.3, 3.1, and 4.8 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively. The %ΔeGFRcys was larger among patients with lower baseline eGFRcys (0.47% greater improvement of %ΔeGFRcys/one lower baseline eGFRcys; 95% CI, 0.23-0.72%). This association remained significant after adjustment for potential confounders (0.63% greater improvement of %ΔeGFRcys/one lower baseline eGFRcys; 95% CI, 0.35-0.91%). CONCLUSIONS: The effect of CR on renal function was greater in patients with worse renal dysfunction measured by eGFRcys. A CR program could be useful for patients with severe renal dysfunction and it might have a beneficial effect on their renal function.

Impact of bedrest on cardiovascular events and complications associated with temporary pacemakers in patients waiting for permanent pacemaker implantation.

BACKGROUND: Patients with a temporary pacemaker (TPM) for bradycardias are required to maintain bedrest until permanent pacemakers (PPMs) are implanted because of the development of Adams-Stokes syndrome, worsening heart failure, or complications associated with TPMs is anticipated. However, bedrest may be detrimental in patients because it leads to disuse syndrome. This study examined whether bedrest could decrease the incidence of cardiovascular events or complications associated with TPMs in patients waiting for PPM implantation. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study on 88 patients who had emergency hospitalization for the treatment of bradycardias, and a TPM was inserted during the waiting period before PPM implantation. We divided patients into two groups according to whether they underwent bedrest (Bedrest Group) or not (Ambulation Group) during the period that patients were supported with TPM. We evaluated whether bedrest was a predictor of adverse events using a logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Adverse events occurred in 31 patients (35%). In the univariate analysis, there was no significant difference in the incidence of adverse events between the Bedrest and Ambulation Groups (39% vs. 29%). In the logistic regression analysis, bedrest was not a predictor of adverse events (odds ratio, 1.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.53-3.68, P = .497). CONCLUSIONS: In patients with TPMs for bradyarrhythmias during the waiting period for PPM implantations, bedrest might not prevent adverse events, such as cardiovascular events and complications associated with TPMs.

Effects of cardiac rehabilitation on physical function and exercise capacity in elderly cardiovascular patients with frailty.

BACKGROUND: The effects of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on long-term prognosis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are well known. However, the effect of CR on frail CVD patients has not been fully addressed. METHODS: This study consisted of 89 CVD patients with their age ≥65 years old (68 males, 75 ± 6 years), who participated in the outpatient CR program for 3 months. All the patients underwent cardiopulmonary exercise testing and the physical frailty was assessed using the Japanese Version of the Cardiovascular Health Study Standard before and after CR. Based on the assessment of frailty before CR, the patients were divided into the following two groups: frailty group (n = 23) and non-frailty group (n = 66: robust in 10 and pre-frail in 56 patients). RESULTS: In the frailty group, 20 patients (87%) improved from frail status after CR, and usual walking speed, maximal grip strength, and lower extremity strength were significantly improved (1.06±0.20 vs. 1.20±0.18 m/sec, p<0.001; 21.7 ± 5.5 vs. 23.6 ± 6.3 kg, p<0.01; 0.37±0.09 vs. 0.43±0.11 kgf/kg, p = 0.001, respectively), but peak VO2 did not change after CR (15.9 ± 3.1 vs. 16.2 ± 3.8 ml/min/kg, NS). In the non-frailty group, all these parameters were significantly improved after CR (1.24±0.19 vs. 1.29±0.23 m/sec, p<0.05, 28.7 ± 7.0 vs. 30.2 ± 7.3 kg, p<0.001, 0.50±0.18 vs. 0.54±0.13 kgf/kg, p<0.05, 17.7 ± 4.7 vs 18.5 ± 4.2 ml/min/kg, p<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: Short-term CR could obtain the improvement of the physical function, providing the prerequisite step for possibly following improvement of exercise capacity in elderly CVD patients with frailty. It may be inferred that longer duration of CR would be needed to obtain the improvement of exercise capacity in these patients, being the future consideration to be determined.

[A case of acute pancreatitis after extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for renal pelvic calculus].

A 62-year-old man was admitted to receive extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for a right renal pelvic calculus. During the operation, the patient complained of right upper quadrant pain. Later in the day, laboratory data showed elevated serum amylase levels, and abdominal CT revealed an enlarged pancreas. These findings led to a diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. The following day, urine output had decreased, and pleural and ascitic fluid had accumulated. For these reasons, the patient was transferred to our hospital to receive combination therapy, including arterial infusion therapy with protease inhibitors, antibiotics and continuous hemodiafiltration. The condition of the patient improved, and he was discharged on day 30. Acute pancreatitis should be considered as an early complication after ESWL for urinary tract calculus.

Effect of cardiac rehabilitation on the renal function in chronic kidney disease - Analysis using serum cystatin-C based glomerular filtration rate.

BACKGROUND: Whether an individually determined appropriate level of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) has a favorable effect on the renal function still remains unclarified. The aim of this study was to confirm the effect of CR on the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) using cystatin C, which is known to be unaffected by physical exercise. METHODS: The study population was comprised of 86 patients (61 males; average age 74 y/o) with a lower-moderate level of chronic kidney disease (CKD) who was admitted to our hospital for treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and who participated in our 3-month CR program. The exercise capacity was assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPX) and the eGFR was measured by a formula based on the serum cystatin C concentration (eGFRcys) in each patient both at the beginning and end of the CR. RESULTS: In the CVD patients with CKD, both the peak oxygen uptake (VO2) and peak work rate (WR) improved significantly after CR (15.0 ±â€¯3 to 15.8 ±â€¯3 ml/min/kg, p = 0.002. 65.5 ±â€¯21 to 70.2 ±â€¯25 W, p = 0.001). Regarding the renal function, the eGFRcys improved (45.2 ±â€¯11 to 47.3 ±â€¯13 ml/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.023), however, the eGFR assessed by the serum creatinine (eGFRcr) did not improve after CR (45.1 ±â€¯12 to 44.9 ±â€¯13 ml/min/1.73 m2, p = 0.834). CONCLUSIONS: In CVD patients, a novel CR program significantly improved the exercise capacity. Further, CR was shown to have a favorable effect on the renal function when it was estimated by the eGFRcys.