The international surgical journal with global reach

This is the Scientific Surgery Archive, which contains all randomized clinical trials in surgery that have been identified by searching the top 50 English language medical journal issues since January 1998. Compiled by Jonothan J. Earnshaw, former Editor-in-Chief, BJS

Cardiopulmonary exercise testing for the prediction of morbidity risk after rectal cancer surgery. BJS 2014; 101: 1166-1172.

Published: 11th June 2014

Authors: M. A. West, M. G. Parry, D. Lythgoe, C. P. Barben, G. J. Kemp, M. P. W. Grocott et al.

Background

This study investigated the relationship between objectively measured physical fitness variables derived by cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and in‐hospital morbidity after rectal cancer surgery.

Method

Patients scheduled for rectal cancer surgery underwent preoperative CPET (reported blind to patient characteristics) with recording of morbidity (recorded blind to CPET variables). Non‐parametric receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and logistic regression were used to assess the relationship between CPET variables and postoperative morbidity.

Results

Of 105 patients assessed, 95 (72 men) were included; ten patients had no surgery and were excluded (3 by choice, 7 owing to unresectable metastasis). Sixty‐eight patients had received neoadjuvant treatment. ROC curve analysis of oxygen uptake (V˙o2) at estimated lactate threshold (θ^L) and peak V˙o2 gave an area under the ROC curve of 0·87 (95 per cent confidence interval 0·78 to 0·95; P < 0·001) and 0·85 (0·77 to 0·93; P < 0·001) respectively, indicating that they can help discriminate patients at risk of postoperative morbidity. The optimal cut‐off points identified were 10·6 and 18·6 ml per kg per min for V˙o2 at θ^L and peak respectively.

Conclusion

CPET can help predict morbidity after rectal cancer surgery.

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