Early ambulation after femoral percutaneous transluminal angioplasty - report of 02 cases

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: In Brazil and around the world, there is still an abundance of hospital services that restrict exercise in individuals undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI), in the immediate postoperative period, for fear of complications. It is important to demonstrate that cardiovascular physical therapy can be performed in this population. OBJECTIVE: To verify the adverse effects in the performance of early ambulation after PCI, with the use of a mechanical device of arterial closure in the femoral puncture. POPULATION AND METHODS: Two cases (68-years-old man and 57-years-old woman) submitted to a single-vessel coronary artery (right coronary artery and diagonal branch, respectively) that had their femoral puncture associated with the device Angio-Seal - St. Jude Medical©, who were discharged from the hospital six hours after the intervention. Before PCI, patients had stable angina and cardiovascular risk factors (dyslipidemia, hypertension, and others). After the PCI, the patients were evaluated by the Heart Team, who monitored intercurrences during hospitalization (chest pain, ventilatory discomfort, electrocardiogram, cardiac enzymes and others). The gait of the individuals was verified, in order to evaluate the tolerance of the individuals to the same, after five hours of the PCI. Individuals were advised to walk in a light rhythm (modified Borg 1-3) for five minutes in a corridor of approximately 15 meters, in round-trip movements, and were evaluated after ambulation for hematoma at the puncture site, pain or any complications that might arise. On the first postoperative day, a telephone call was made for a second complication check. RESULTS: Both patients tolerated the five-minute walk and were released from the hospital after six hours, wandering uneventfully. One of the patients reported low-intensity headache during hospitalization. The same patient reported low-intensity pain at the puncture site the next day. There were no clinically relevant changes in cardiovascular or ventilatory parameters during the six hours postoperative hospitalization or during ambulation. CONCLUSION: Early ambulation within six hours after PCI was well tolerated in the two cases studied, even with the femoral artery access site. The use of a mechanical device for arterial closure was important so that the ambulation could be carried out in this population.