OBJECTIVE

To study the effect of preoperative course of aerobic physical training on neurophysiological parameters and incidence of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in patients at the 7—10^th day after coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Forty-nine patients-candidates for elective CABG were included in the prospective randomized study. The main group consisted of 22 patients who underwent 5—7-day preoperative course of aerobic physical training, the control group — 27 patients without training. All patients were comparable by clinical and anamnestic characteristics. An extended neurophysiological examination was performed before surgery and in 7—10^th days after CABG. Statistical analysis was performed using Statistica 10.0 software package. Incidence of POCD and relative risk were analyzed.

RESULTS

It was found that preoperative training was followed by lower percentage of postoperative theta- and beta1-activity in 7—10^th days after CABG compared to preoperative data. Better cognitive functions were observed in the same group. These patients had few errors in psychomotor and executive functional tests, more processed letters in the Bourdon test and more memorized numbers in the short-term memory test compared to the control group. POCD incidence was 74% in the control group and 44% in the main group. The relative risk of POCD in the main group was 0.24 (95% CI 0.07-0.81, Z=2.297, p=0.02).

CONCLUSION

Preoperative physical training ensures lower degree of brain dysfunction and lower incidence of POCD in early postoperative period. Short aerobic physical training course can contribute to effective prevention of cognitive disorders in CABG patients.