Exercise cardiorespiratory function before and one year after operation for pectus excavatum

Cardiopulmonary exercise performance is reduced in congenital diaphragmatic hernia survivors

“…O 2 ‐pulse, a surrogate marker for stroke volume, was lower in our CDH survivors than controls. O 2 ‐pulse can be reduced as a result of chest wall abnormalities, and half of our CDH survivors had varying degrees of pectus excavatum, although most were mild cases. To further explore this mechanism, we compared CDH survivors with and without pectus excavatum to their respective controls and found similar results.…”

Pectus excavatum repair improves respiratory pump efficacy and cardiovascular function at exercise

“…Chest deformity such as pectus excavatum (PEx) can alter the development of negative pulmonary pressure, which could explain the impaired cardiovascular function. 1,2 Because cardiovascular function is the limiting factor for oxygen delivery to the tissues at maximal exercise, we hypothesized that the reduced aerobic capability in patients with PEx could be the result of impaired inspiratory muscle strength to generate negative pulmonary pressure, thus limiting venous return and cardiac output. Specifically, we tested whether PEx deformity would be associated with reduced respiratory muscle strength, as evaluated by the maximal inspiratory pressures, and whether surgery would improve the aerobic capacity by the increased respiratory pump efficacy and better cardiovascular adaptation.…”

Cardiopulmonary Function in Thoracic Wall Deformities: What Do We Really Know?

“…A predominance of PE patients describe an improved ability to exercise after surgery including increased endurance and decreased exertional dyspnea and tachycardia. 1,34,[45][46][47] From a physiological stand point, relief in significant cardiopulmonary compression by PE surgery should increase the anterior-posterior thoracic dimensions and facilitate cardiac filling. This may lead to an improvement in exercise capacity.…”

“…Only a limited number of studies have been published reporting quantitative measures from CPET outcomes before and after PE repair. 1,6,14,21,23,34,[45][46][47][57][58][59][60] Of these, only 7 evaluated more than 20 patients, and of those 7, only 4 followed up and tested patients beyond 1 year after surgery. 1,21,34,45 ►Table 3 reports an overview of studies reporting on cardiopulmonary function before and after surgery.…”