A retrospective analysis of the association of effort-independent cardiopulmonary exercise test variables with postoperative complications in patients who underwent elective colorectal surgery.

Abstracts No Comments

Franssen RFW;  Maastricht University, and other centres in the Netherlands.
Berkel AEM; Ten Cate DWG; van der Palen J; Vogelaar FJ; Slooter G; Klaase JM; Janssen-Heijnen Bongers BC

Publisher: Springer-Verlag Country of Publication: Germany NLM ID: 9808285 Publication Model: Electronic Cited Medium:
Internet ISSN: 1435-2451 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 14352443 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Langenbecks Arch Surg Subsets: MEDLINE

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the association of effort-independent variables derived from the preoperative cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET) with 30-day postoperative complications after elective colorectal surgery.
Methods: A multicenter (n=4) retrospective explorative study was performed using data of patients who completed a preoperative CPET and underwent elective colorectal surgery. The preoperative slope of the relation between minute ventilation and carbon dioxide production (VE/VCO 2 -slope) and the oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES), as well as 30-day postoperative complications, were assessed. Multivariable logistic regression analyses and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to investigate the prognostic value of the relationship between these preoperative CPET-derived effort-independent variables and postoperative complications.
Results: Data from 102 patients (60.1% males) with a median age of 72.0 (interquartile range 67.8-77.4) years were analyzed. Forty-four patients (43.1%) had one or more postoperative complications (of which 52.3% general and 77.3% surgical complications). Merely 10 (9.8%) patients had a general complication only. In multivariate analysis adjusted for surgical approach (open versus minimally invasive surgery), the VE/VCO 2 -slope (odds ratio (OR) 1.08, confidence interval (CI) 1.02-1.16) and OUES (OR 0.94, CI 0.89-1.00) were statistically significant associated with the occurrence of 30-day postoperative complications.
Conclusion: The effort-independent VE/VCO 2 -slope and OUES might be used to assist in future preoperative risk assessment and could especially be of added value in patients who are unable or unwilling to deliver a maximal cardiorespiratory effort. Future research should reveal the predictive value of these variables individually and/or in combination with other prognostic (CPET-derived) variables for postoperative complications.
Trial Registration Number: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05331196.