Exercise interventions in solid organ transplant candidates: A systematic review

Introduction: Exercise training may be recommended to solid organ transplant (SOT) candidates to improve fitness and tolerance before surgery. We aimed to determine the acceptance, safety, and effectiveness of exercise interventions in SOT candidates.

Methods: Online databases were searched. Studies of any design were included. Outcomes of interest were acceptance, safety, exercise capacity, and health-related quality of life.

Results: Twenty-three articles were included. Acceptance ranged from 16% to 100%. In the fifteen studies that assessed adverse events, none mentioned any adverse events occurring during the study. Five out of seven studies reported an increase in maximal exercise capacity post-exercise in the intervention group (range of mean change: 0.45 to 2.9 mL/kg). Eight out of fourteen studies reported an increase in 6-minute walking distance in the intervention group after the training period (range of mean change: 40-105 m). Two articles showed an improvement in the mental composite scores as well as in the physical composite scores post-exercise in the intervention group.

Conclusion: There was a lack of significant findings among most randomized controlled trials. Exercise training is acceptable and safe for selective SOT candidates. The effects of exercise training on exercise capacity and quality of life in SOT candidates are unclear.