EXERCISE CAPACITY AND FUNCTIONAL STATUS IN LIVER TRANSPLANT CANDIDATES: IDENTIFYING PERCEIVED DETERMINANTS AND CONSEQUENCES

Abstract

Purpose: Exercise capacity is a well known prognostic indicator in many clinical conditions. This studyevaluates the clinical and exercise variables most determinant for estimating exercise capacity in livertransplant candidates.Methods: This prospective cross-sectional study consisted of thirty patients who were scheduled for livertransplantation. Respiratory and peripheral muscle strengths were measured using a mouth pressuredevice and a hand-held dynamometer, respectively. Physical activity, fatigue, exercise capacity, physicalperformance, and quality of life of participants were assessed using the International Physical ActivityQuestionnaire, the Turkish version of the Checklist Individual Strength Questionnaire, the Six-minuteWalk Test (6MWT), the 30-sec Sit-to-Stand Test, and the Liver Disease Symptom Index 2.0, respectively.Multivariate analysis was conducted to determine clinical factors predictive of exercise impairment.Results: The participants achieved 62.9% of the predicted six-minute walk distance (6MWD). 6MWDwas strongly correlated with age (r=−0.678, p