| Abstract: | A total of 338 patients aged 10 to 56 years, who had undergone various cardiac operations, were divided, on the basis of a spiroergometric examination, performed together with the determination of maximal oxygen intake (MOI), into 4 functional classes. Determination of functional aerobic impairment, i.e. the magnitude of deviation of the established MOI value from that theoretically anticipated in view of the patient's age and sex, made it possible to determine the degree of decrease in the reserve capacity of the patient's cardiac and respiratory system (CRS). Comprehensive assessment of the functional state of the CRS, while taking into account the patient's individual characteristics, is a prerequisite for a differentiated quantitative approach to the design of rehabilitation programmes. |
