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Abstract
Subjective feeling of fatigue was quantified before and 20 days after elective uncomplicated
abdominal surgery in 16 otherwise-healthy patients and compared with changes in heart
rate and various hormonal and substrate responses to a 10-minute bicycle exercise
(65% of preoperative maximal work capacity) preoperatively and postoperatively. Postoperatively,
fatigue increased (p < 0.001) from 3.0 ± 0.5 to 5.3 ± 0.5 arbitrary units (mean ±
SEM). Heart rate, plasma catecholamines, and serum growth hormone, lactate, alanine,
and glycerol values always increased, whereas serum insulin values decreased in response
to exercise (p < 0.01). During exercise, only heart rate (p < 0.01) and lactate (p
< 0.05) values were higher postoperatively compared with preoperatively. Increase
in fatigue postoperatively correlated significantly to increase in heart rate (p <
0.01) and correlated positively, but not significantly, to increase in plasma levels
of noradrenaline (p = 0.08), growth hormone (p = 0.09), and alanine (p = 0.08) during
exercise, but not to increase in serum lactate values (p > 0.8). Thus, after uncomplicated
surgery, there was increased fatigue and amplified metabolic and cardiovascular response
to a given absolute work load. These findings are similar to those observed during
detraining and suggest a therapeutic role of exercise in the treatment of postoperative
fatigue.
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
April 6,
1988
Identification
Copyright
© 1989 Published by Elsevier Inc.
