Landscape therapy: rehabilitation potential in patients with post-infarction cardiosclerosis.

OBJECTIVE: Aim: To evaluate the rehabilitation potential, effectiveness and safety of landscape therapy in the complex rehabilitation treatment of patients with post-infarction cardiosclerosis (PC) complicated by chronic post-infarction cardiac aneurysm (CPCA) at the sanatorium stage. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and Methods: We examined 62 patients with PC complicated by CPCA aged 38 to 65 years. Patients were randomized into two groups: the 1st group was undergoing the "Progressive gait" physical activity protocol in the city, and the 2nd group - in the rehabilitation department in a sanatorium. Survey, six-minute walk test, electrocardiography, echocardiography, coronary angiography were performed. RESULTS: Results: The average distance that 2nd group patients walked in 6 minutes increased from 301.00 ±17.00 to 467.00 ±32.00 m (p<0.05). Only in patients of 2nd group during 3 weeks of complex rehabilitation there was a decrease in body mass index from 23.70 ±1.60 to 18.90 ±1.50 and the diameter of the calf muscle significantly increased from 33.90 ±2.30 cm to 38.10 ±3.10 cm (p < 0.05). Ejection fraction in the 2nd group was 51.00 ±4.50% compared to the 1st group - 44.70 ±3.60% (p < 0.05), which was accompanied by a decrease in the functional class of heart failure in patients of the 2nd group. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: The rehabilitation potential of landscape therapy in the complex rehabilitation treatment of patients with complicated PC at the sanatorium stage is determined by a significant improvement in myocardial contractility and physical endurance of patients, and improving the quality of life.

[The efficacy of rehabilitative treatment in patients with a history of myocardial infarct complicated by a heart aneurysm]. / Effektivnost' vosstanovitel'nogo lecheniia bol'nykh, perenesshikh infarkt miokarda, oslozhnennyi anevrizmoi serdtsa.

Two-year follow-up of 65 patients with myocardial infarction complicated by an aneurysm of the aorta using unifactorial mathematical analysis revealed signs allowing before returning of the patients for working activity to single out groups with a reduced working capacity lasting two years after myocardial infarction. The prognosis of reduction of the working capacity in patients with a history of myocardial infarction complicated by an aneurysm of heart depended on the presence of stenocardia before or after myocardial infarction and arterial hypertension. It was established that the initial values of threshold loads (at the level of 50 Wt) were important in determining the long-term working prognosis.

[Prognostic significance of the area of myocardial lesion and the status of the coronary bed during restoration of work capacity in patients with a complicated course of acute myocardial infarction]. / Prognosticheskoe znachenie ploshchadi porazheniia miokarda i sostoianiia koronarnogo rusla pri vosstanovlenii trudosposobnosti bol'nykh s oslozhnennym techeniem ostrogo perioda infarkta miokarda.

The effect of heart failure and acute left-ventricular aneurysm on the recovery of working capacity was assessed with reference to the size of necrotic focus and the extent of coronary arterial involvement in 117 patients with acute myocardial infarction. The size of necrotic focus and magnitude of coronary arterial affection were shown to be the principal determinants of heart failure in acute myocardial infarction. The presence of heart failure and acute left-ventricular aneurysm in combination with multiple coronary-arterial lesions is an adverse predictive sign in the assessment of the severity of acute myocardial infarction and the recovery of patients' working capacity. On the contrary, the presence of a local aneurysm in combination with an isolated coronary-arterial lesion should not be regarded as an unequivocal indicator of disability.

Functional cardiac assessment before and after left ventricular anterior aneurysm repair, especially as related to work capacity.

Clinical, angiographic and hemodynamic parameters were assessed preoperatively and 12-20 weeks (mean +/- SD: 14 +/- 2) after left ventricular anterior aneurysmectomy in 31 consecutive patients. In 18 patients, associated coronary artery bypass surgery was necessary (1.4 grafts/patient). One patient with mitral valve insufficiency postoperatively required mitral valve replacement. No other complications and no deaths arose. The working capacity of the patients, as measured by bicycle exercise testing, compared a stage of exercise that the patient reached to the expected level of exercise for a normal person of the same sex, age and body surface. Expressed as percent of normals it increased from 39.3 +/- 28.9% (mean +/- SD) to 60.8 +/- 15.5% (p less than 0.001), angina-pectoris-free working capacity increased from 52.6 +/- 41.4 to 89.2 +/- 33.2 W (p less than 0.001). Left ventricular end-diastolic volume was determined by simultaneous biplane angiography and decreased from 277.1 +/- 84.7 to 191.0 +/- 49.1 ml (p less than 0.001). Ejection fraction increased from 35.4 +/- 12.4 to 41.0 +/- 9.6% (p less than 0.05). Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure after angiography decreased from 24.6 +/- 9.2 to 21.1 +/- 11.3 mm Hg (p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[The comparative study of long-term results of surgical and medical treatment of post-infarction left ventricular aneurysm].

Sixty-three patients of postinfarction left ventricular aneurysm (26 surgical cases and 37 medical cases) were analysed in the left ventricular performance, the survival rate, and the subjective complaints. In the surgical cases, the left ventricular performance improved significantly, but no significant changes were noted in the medical cases. The left ventricular function curves were inclined toward the upper left direction in the surgical cases. Whereas in the medical cases they were declined toward the lower right direction. No cardiac death occurred among the surgical cases, but it occurred in 8 patients, or 21.6% in the medical cases. Five year cumulative survival rate was 95.7% and adjusted survival rate was 100% in the surgical cases, but in the medical cases it was 80.7% and 86.8%, respectively.

Effect of left ventricular aneurysmectomy on exercise performance.

We performed pre- and post-operative exercise testing on 12 patients with coronary artery bypass surgery and ventricular aneurysmectomy and 2 patients with ventricular aneurysmectomy alone. Most patients showed better exercise performance, higher double product, better work capacity and were able to exercise longer. Two patients who had ventricular aneurysmectomy alone showed similar changes. Most patients showed improved New York Heart Association functional classification and exercise performance after surgery.

Results after resection of postinfarction left ventricular aneurysms.

Although left ventricular aneurysmectomy (LVA) is a common surgical procedure, the late functional and hemodynamic results have not been well defined. This presentation describes our results with LVA in 135 patients operated between 1969 and 1979. Associated procedures were performed in 57 (42%) including coronary bypass grafting in 50, valve replacement in 5, closure of ventricular septal defect in 2, or combinations of these in 3 patients. One hundred four of the 122 hospital survivors were followed from 2 to 107 months (mean = 37 months). There were 13 hospital deaths (9.6%), 12 late deaths (9.8%) and an actuarial 5-year survival rate of 77%. Clinical improvement of preoperative heart failure occurred in 82%, and of angina in 70%. Only 33 patients (30%) returned to normal work. Bicycle exercise testing in 70 patients showed normal working capacity in 41 (59%). Recatheterization in 49 patients showed no significant changes in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure or cardiac index, and a borderline reduction of the total ejection fraction. Ventricular arrhythmias were detected by long-term ECG in 70% of all patients after surgery. Of those with preoperative life-threatening arrhythmias, rhythm improvement was noted in 50%, but only 2 of 13 patients were free of arrhythmias after operation. This study demonstrates a greater frequency of postoperative symptomatic and functional improvement as compared to hemodynamic and ECG improvement. Ventricular tachyarrhythmias originating from post-infarct scars increased intra- and postoperative risk and aneurysmectomy alone is considered insufficient for treatment of these disturbances. Further electrophysiologic investigations are needed and additional surgical measures may be necessary to improve the subset of patients with life-threatening arrhythmias.

[Social fate (return to work) after coronary heart surgery and/or aneurysmectomy (author's transl)]. / Soziales Schicksal bei operierten und konservativ behandelten Koronar- und Aneurysmapatienten.

The "return to work"-rate of 4 groups of patients with myocardial infarction (MI) is evaluated (all coronary angiography): Group 1: 314 patients after aorto-coronary bypass operation: mean age 50.5 years. Time after infarction 28 months, after surgery 18 months. The social fate of 52% were not yet decided. 20% got pension, 25% returned to work. Group 2: 86 patients after conservative treatment of myocardial infarction: mean age 42 years. Time after MI 18 months. The social fate of 21% was not yet decided, 41% got pension, 36% returned to work. Patients with one-vessel disease returned to work in 52%, with two-vessel disease in 20% and with three-vessel disease in 12.5%. Group 3: 24 patients after aneurysmectomy: mean age 47 years. Time after infarction 28 months, time after operation 11 months. Social fate of 8 out of 24 patients was not yet decided, 7 out of 24 got pension, 5 out of 24 returned to work. Group 4: 27 patients with conservatively treated left ventricular aneurysm: mean age 43 years. Time after infarction 42 months. The social fate of 2 out of 27 patients was not yet decided, 14 out of 27 got pension, and 8 out of 27 returned to work. Exercise-tolerance is no good indicator for the work status 18 months after myocardial infarction, 18 months after aorto-coronary bypass, 18 months after aneurysmectomy and 42 months after conservative treatment of left ventricular aneurysm. Selection of patients (all were examined by coronary angiography because of limitation by angina pectoris in daily life activities) may be partly responsible for the poor long-term work status. But more important seems to be the "tied social network". Decision for "return to work" or "pension" should be made 6 months after MI or after operation.

Employability--a new indication for aneurysmectomy and coronary revascularization.

Increasing governmental concern with containment of medical costs prompted us to evaluate the efficacy and cost effectiveness of ventricular aneurysmectomy and coronary revascularization. Sixty-six patients underwent ventricular aneurysmectomy between August 1973 and June 1978. Their classification according to the New York Heart Association criteria, their employment status (fully employed, working part time or totally disabled) and their salaries and disability payments for the 11-month periods before and after surgery were compared. There were five hospital deaths (7.6%) with a 40-month actuarial survival of 74%. Ninety-five percent percent of the survivors were class I or class II 20 months (average) postoperatively, full employment increased form 33% preoperatively to 63% postoperatively and total disability decreased from 60% preoperatively to 29% postoperatively. The efficacy of surgery in this group of patients in terms of financial implact on the community was analysed: the cost of surgery averaged $10,537.00 per patient. Computing the income actually earned by the entire group of patients, the disability payments to the individual patients and the lost tax revenues through disability shows that the cost of surgery for the whole group could be paid by 1.68 years of improved postoperative productivity.

[Effectiveness of physical rehabilitation in myocardial infarct taking into account long-term observation data]. / Effektivnost' fizicheskoi reabilitatsii bol'nykh infarktom miokarda s uchetom dannykh dlitel'nogo nabliudeniia.

The article discusses the results of a one-year follow-up of 439 persons who had suffered from macrofocal or transmural myocardial infarction; aneurysm of the heart was suspected in 128 of them. Four to six months after recovery, 60.1% of patients with suspected aneurysm of the heart and 69.1% of those with transmural or macrofocal myocardial infarction were engaged in work involving small physical exertion. Mortality in the follow-up period after the end of the acute period of the disease was 8.6%, the incidence of recurrent myocardial infarction, 9.3%. Persons who had resumed work one year after recovery endured physical exertion better. There was no statistically significant difference in the frequency of recurrent myocardial infarction and in mortality depending on the size of the infarct suffered, while incapacity for work was encountered more frequently among persons in whom cardiac aneurysm has bee suspected.