Resumen:
OBJECTIVES: Stair climbing is considered the first step for functional evaluation of patients requiring anatomical lung resection who have low-predicted postoperative forced expiratory volume in the first second of expiration (FEV1) or diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) values. Nevertheless, stair climbing is not performed in many centres because of structural issues or patient safety concerns. We hypothesized that comparable exercise can be obtained on an ergometric bicycle in a safer environment where any adverse event can be treated. We tried to correlate the amount of exercise performed by stair climbing and by using an ergometric bicycle in a series of patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) evaluated prospectively.
METHODS: Thirty-four consecutive patients with NSCLC who were scheduled for lung resection were prospectively enrolled to complete two low-technology exercise tests: The first one was stair climbing, and the second was a ramp test on an ergometric bicycle. For most patients (85%), both tests were performed on the same day, separated with at least 2 h of rest. The amount of exercise on the stair-climbing test (in watts: Watt 1) was calculated per patient weight, height reached on stairs and time spent. The bicycle test was performed on a Lode Corival ergometer with automatic calculation of the total work load (Watt 2). No estimation of VO(2)max was attempted. The bicycle test was conducted in an ad-hoc room fully equipped ...
