ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Cardiovasc. Med.
Sec. Coronary Artery Disease
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1580442
Physical performance on the early 6-minute walk test in coronary artery bypass grafting patients during inpatient cardiac rehabilitation
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Cardiac Rehabilitation Center, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang District, China
- 2Department of Minimally Invasive Surgery Center, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang District, Beijing, China
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Background: The 6-minute walk test (6MWT) is widely used to evaluate functional exercise capacity, therapeutic effects, and prognosis in patients with cardiopulmonary diseases. However, its application in phase I cardiac rehabilitation (CR) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) remains under explored. This study investigates the physical performance of CABG patients during the early 6MWT and analyzes factors influencing their walking performance during inpatient CR. Methods: This retrospective study included 360 patients who underwent isolated off-pump coronary artery bypass (OPCAB, n=240) or minimally invasive direct coronary artery bypass (MIDCAB, n=120) surgery. Participants, with a median age of 63 years (range: 36-80), comprised 285 males and 75 females. The study was conducted from November 22, 2023, to December 25, 2024. It specifically included patients who completed the 6MWT within 5 ± 2 days during phase I CR post-surgery. Results: The median 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) was 183 ± 125 meters (33 ± 20% of predicted). Notably, the walking distances were significantly shorter in OPCAB patients than MIDCAB patients (175 ± 125 vs 200 ± 134 meters, Z = -3.426, P = 0.001), in older patients than younger patients (H = 20.489, P < 0.001) and in females than males (150 ± 84 vs 200 ± 100 meters, Z = -5.919, P < 0.001). Univariate analysis showed 6MWD significantly correlated with height, weight, body mass index (BMI), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2) before the test, as well as heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), DBP, SpO2, and respiratory rate (RR) after the test, and the mean values of HR and RR during the test. The stepwise multivariate regression analysis identified that gender, type of surgery, HR and RR at the end of the test, and DBP before the test were independent predictors of the 6MWD. Conclusion: This study is the first to describe early 6MWD in CABG patients during phase I CR. The 6MWT is feasible and well-tolerated in adults and older patients shortly after CABG. The findings provide valuable insights into factors affecting walking distance, aiding clinical assessment and informing phase II CR program development post-discharge.
Keywords: CABG, Cardiac Rehabilitation, Coronary Artery Disease, physical performance, 6MWT
Received: 20 Feb 2025; Accepted: 22 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wu, Ren, Li, Chi, Li and Wu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jiahui Wu, Department of Cardiac Rehabilitation Center, Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, Chaoyang District, China
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