Case Report on the Physical Work Capacity of a 37 Year Old Competitive Cyclist Prior to and Following Orthotopic Heart Transplant

Abstract

PURPOSE: It has been well documented that for heart transplant recipients (HTRs), post-transplantation physical work capacity (PWC) normally does not exceed 60% of the value for healthy age-match controls. Few, if any, studies have undertaken post-tranplantation PWC measurements of well conditioned individuals (i.e., PWC > 300 watts). CASE SUMMARY: A 37 year-old, professionally trained male cyclist suffered an AMI immediately following a road race and received a heart transplant four months following the AMI The participant resumed training one month following surgery and underwent a maximal exercise test 6 months post surgery. RESULTS: Peak PWC (33.8 ml·kg−1·min−1, 250 Watts) and peak heart rate (165 bpm) were 92% and 90% age predicted, respectively. These results were similar to the participants in a study (Richard et al., 1999) who had been training regularly for 36 ± 24 months prior to testing and PWC evaluations occurred 43 ± 12 months following HTR. CONCLUSIONS: Although the participant was highly motivated to return to competitive cycling, results suggests: 1) lifestyle prior to HTR positively affect post-transplantation PWC; and 2) a more aggressive approach to heart transplant recovery could be applied to HTRs with similar activity histories.