Effects of prehabilitation resistance training in mild to moderate clinically frail patients awaiting coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Coronary artery disease is one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity among chronic heart diseases worldwide. Patients reported chronic chest pain as the primary symptom of coronary artery disease. Due to its progressive nature, it affects the health status and functional capacity of the patients. The current study was planned to compare the effects of prehabilitation resistance training in mild to moderate clinically frail patients awaiting coronary artery bypass graft (CABG). A randomized controlled trial was conducted on 74 patients awaiting CABG at the Faisalabad Institute of Cardiology, Faisalabad, Pakistan. A Modified Healthy Heart Questionnaire was used for screening of the patients. Interventions applied were resistance training by using cuff weights/dumbbells at light intensity (40%-50%) of a maximum of one repetition (10-15 repetitions for one to three times a day) per major muscle groups of upper and lower limbs of the body on weekly basis. The main outcome measures were the 6-minute walk test (6MWT), the New York Heart Association (NYHA) for heart failure, the clinical frailty score, and the essential frailty toolset. Significant differences between group A (resistance training group) and group B (conventional physical therapy group) patients were observed. The mean ranks for 6MWT in group A and group B were 1.70 and 1.55, respectively. The mean ranks of NYHA in group A and group B were 1.68 and 2.84, respectively. Clinical frailty scores in group A and group B were 2.68 and 2.74, respectively, with the essential frailty toolset in group A and group B were 1.14 and 1.11, respectively. There were significant (p < 0.05) differences within and between groups for prehabilitation resistance training after CABG. The study showed that the resistance training group had improved the clinical frailty score, strength, endurance, and functional capacity in patients who underwent elective CABG.