Physical activity following pulmonary embolism and clinical correlates in selected patients: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: There is limited knowledge regarding physical activity and clinical correlates among people who have suffered a pulmonary embolism (PE). OBJECTIVES: To assess physical activity levels after PE and potential clinical correlates. METHODS: One hundred forty-five individuals free of major comorbidities were recruited at a mean of 23 months (range, 6-72) after PE diagnosis. Physical activity was assessed by steps/day on the Sensewear monitor for 7 consecutive days, exercise capacity with the incremental shuttle walk test, and cardiac function with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). The association between physical activity and other variables was analyzed by a mixed-effects model. RESULTS: Participants achieved a mean of 6494 (SD, 3294; range, 1147-18.486) steps/day. The mixed-effects model showed that physical activity was significantly associated with exercise capacity (ß-coefficient, 0.04; 95% CI, 0.03-0.05) and LVEF (ß-coefficient, -0.81; 95% CI, -1.42 to -0.21). The analysis further showed that men became less physically active with increasing age (ß-coefficient, -0.14; 95% CI, -0.24 to -0.04), whereas no change with age could be detected for women. CONCLUSION: In selected post-PE patients, physical activity seems to be associated with exercise capacity and LVEF but not with quality of life, dyspnea, or characteristics of the initial PE. Men appear to become less physically active with increasing age.