A preoperative supervised exercise program potentially improves long-term survival after elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair

Sethi, Sifut; Ravindhran, Bharadhwaj; Long, Judith; Gurung, Roji; Huang, Chao; Smith, George E.; Carradice, Daniel; Wallace, Tom; Ibeggazene, Said; Chetter, Ian C.; Pymer, Sean

Abstract

Objective: A preoperative supervised exercise program (SEP) improves cardiorespiratory fitness and perioperative outcomes for patients undergoing elective abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) repair. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a preoperative SEP on long-term survival of these patients. A secondary aim was to consider long-term changes in cardiorespiratory fitness and quality of life. Methods: Patients scheduled for open or endovascular AAA repair were previously randomized to either a 6-week preoperative SEP or standard management, and a significant improvement in a composite outcome of cardiac, pulmonary, and renal complications was seen following SEP. For the current analysis, patients were followed up to 5 years post-surgery. The primary outcome for this analysis was all-cause mortality. Data were analyzed on an intention to treat (ITT) and per protocol (PP) basis, with the latter meaning that patients randomized to SEP who did not attend any sessions were excluded. The PP analysis was further interrogated using a complier average causal effect (CACE) analysis on an all or nothing scale, which adjusts for compliance. Additionally, patients who agreed to follow-up attended the research center for cardiopulmonary exercise testing and/or provided quality of life measures. Results: ITT analysis demonstrated that the primary endpoint occurred in 24 of the 124 participants at 5 years, with eight in the SEP group and 16 in the control group (P =.08). The PP analysis demonstrated a significant survival benefit associated with SEP attendance (4 vs 16 deaths; P =.01). CACE analysis confirmed a significant intervention effect (hazard ratio, 0.36; 95% confidence interval, 0.16-0.90; P =.02). There was no difference between groups for cardiorespiratory fitness measures and most quality of life measures. Conclusions: These novel findings suggest a long-term mortality benefit for patients attending a SEP prior to elective AAA repair. The underlying mechanism remains unknown, and this merits further investigation.

Citation

Sethi, S., Ravindhran, B., Long, J., Gurung, R., Huang, C., Smith, G. E., Carradice, D., Wallace, T., Ibeggazene, S., Chetter, I. C., & Pymer, S. A preoperative supervised exercise program potentially improves long-term survival after elective abdominal aortic aneurysm repair. Presented at 2023 Vascular Annual Meeting of the Society for Vascular Surgery, National Harbor, Maryland

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (published)
• Conference Name: 2023 Vascular Annual Meeting of the Society for Vascular Surgery
• Acceptance Date: Sep 3, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Sep 14, 2023
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jan 4, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 5, 2024
• Journal: Journal of Vascular Surgery
• Print ISSN: 0741-5214
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 79
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 15-23
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvs.2023.09.004
• Keywords: Abdominal aortic aneurysm; Supervised exercise therapy; Prehabilitation
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4459004