Trunk stabilising exercises promote sternal stability in patients after median sternotomy for heart valve surgery: a randomised trial

What is the effect of trunk stabilising exercises on sternal stability in women who have undergone heart valve surgery via median sternotomy?Randomised controlled trial with concealed allocation, assessor blinding and intention-to-treat analysis.Thirty-six women aged 40 to 50 years who had undergone heart valve surgery via median sternotomy 7 days before enrolment.All participants in both groups received cardiac rehabilitation during hospitalisation and three times per week for 4 weeks after discharge. In addition, participants in the experimental group were prescribed a regimen of trunk stabilising exercises to be performed three times per week for 4 weeks. At each exercise session, each of 11 exercises were to be performed with five to ten repetitions.The primary outcome was sternal separation (the distance between the two halves of the bisected sternum). The secondary outcome was the Sternal Instability Scale from 0 (no instability) to 3 (an unstable sternum with substantial movement or separation). Measures were taken before and after the 4-week intervention period.After the 4-week intervention period, the experimental group had a greater decrease in sternal separation by 0.09 cm (95% CI 0.07 to 0.11). The experimental group was twice as likely to improve by at least one grade on the Sternal Instability Scale by 4 weeks (RR 2.00, 95% CI 1.07 to 3.75). The experimental group was almost three times as likely to have a clinically stable sternum (grade 0 on the Sternal Instability Scale) by 4 weeks (RR 2.75, 95% CI 1.07 to 7.04).Trunk stabilising exercises were an effective and feasible method of promoting sternal stability in women who underwent heart valve surgery via median sternotomy.NCT04632914.