2021 年 56 巻 4 号 p. 371-376
【Objective】 Heart transplant (HTx) recipients often have a lower exercise capacity than normal healthy age-and-gender-matched controls in the early period or long after HTx. We try to elucidate the effects of the recipient and donor risk factors on the patient’s exercise capacity early after HTx.
【Methods】 Forty-one HTx recipients who underwent the procedure from April 2010 to November 2016 at the National Cerebral and Cardiovascular Center (NCVC) and participated in our 3-month cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program were reviewed retrospectively for clinical parameters, including demographics of the recipient, recipient nutritional risk factors, demographics of the donor and other risk factors for the donor heart. Each recipient underwent a symptom-limited cardiopulmonary exercise test at the entry and the end of the 3-month program.
【Results】 The peak VO2 was significantly increased after the 3-month program in patients irrespective of recipient and donor risk factors including several nutritional factors. Younger recipient age, higher serum choline esterase and higher blood lymphocyte counts at the entry were significantly associated with higher peak VO2 at the entry and end of the 3-momth program.
【Conclusion】 These data suggested that nutrition management before HTx and entry into a 3-month CR program early after HTx play a significant role in increasing peak VO2 for HTx recipients.
