Exhaustion, immuno-inflammation, and pathogen burden after cardiac surgery: an exploratory study.

Background: Exhaustion, a consequence of prolonged stress characterized by unusual fatigue, is associated with increased risk of cardiac morbidity and mortality. In patients recovering from coronary artery bypass (CABG), little is known about the relationship of 1) immune-mediated inflammation and resultant endothelial activation, and 2) cumulative exposure to infectious pathogens (pathogen burden (PB)) implicated in coronary atherosclerosis to exhaustion.

Aim: The aim of this exploratory study was to investigate the association of PB, inflammatory markers (interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10) and a marker of endothelial activation (soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1)) to exhaustion.

Emotional functioning drives quality of life in men with heart failure.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relative contributions of physical and emotional functioning to overall quality of life (QOL) in men with heart failure (HF). In 76 men with HF (age 63+/-11 years; left ventricular ejection fraction 27+/-9%; 20% NYHA III/IV), initial correlations of Cardiac-Quality of Life Index (C-QLI) scores with sociodemographic/clinical variables, physical functioning (6-minute walk test and Heart Failure Functional Status Inventory), and emotional functioning (depression, anxiety, and hostility, as measured by the Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist) were followed by multivariate stepwise regression. After controlling for sociodemographic/clinical variables, younger age (variance=9%, P=.

Predictors of noncompliance to exercise training in heart failure.

Background/objectives: Exercise training is an emerging therapy in heart failure (HF). However, factors influencing noncompliance to exercise have not been evaluated. We assessed clinical factors, functional status, and emotional predictors of noncompliance to a 12-week home walking exercise program.

Effects of a home walking exercise program on functional status and symptoms in heart failure.

Background: Hospital-based exercise programs using a bicycle ergometer or a combination of exercise modalities have shown positive benefits in heart failure, but may not be readily accessible to many patients. Thus, we sought to evaluate the effects of a 12-week home walking exercise program on functional status and symptoms in patients with heart failure.

Methods: A randomized controlled trial comparing a 12-week progressive home walking exercise program (n = 42) to a "usual activity" control group (n = 37) was conducted in patients with heart failure (78 [99%] male; mean age 62.