Tag Archives: cardiac risk stratification

Introduction Completion of a functional capacity test before cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is one of the British Association for Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (BACPR) Standards.1 The incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT) is an externally paced submaximal walking test with strong reliability, test–retest reliability, validity and responsiveness in cardiac populations.2,3 It is a test that is widely used to inform both risk stratification for cardiovascular events during CR, and for exercise prescription. The use of an electrocardiogram (ECG) to monitor the safety of the ISWT (indicated by the absence of major ECG changes) has not

Introduction Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a progressive and potentially life-threatening condition, with a rupture risk of the order of 25% per annum for aneurysms exceeding 6 cm.1 Prophylactic AAA repair is, therefore, often necessary. Open repair has been the traditional method for many decades. However, since its inception in the early 1990s, endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) has increasingly been the procedure of choice,2 and has now overtaken open repair by a factor of between two and three to one.3,4 Prior to major vascular surgery, pre-operative assessment is routinely carried out to establish the patient’s risk profile to e