Objective
To help cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and prevention of cardiovascular disease in spinal cord injured patients. Method: Twenty spinal cord injured patients were divided into 3 groups according to level of injury - cervical, thoracic and lumbar level groups. Exercise stress test was initiated at a velocity of 1.5 mph for 1 minute and was increased 0.5 mph for each subsequent minute. To evaluate blood lipid profiles, we measured total cholesterol, HDL (high density lipoprotein)-cholesterol, LDL (low density lipoprotein)-cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the fasting state. Results: Oxygen consumption, oxygen consumption ratio ofmaximal oxygen consumption and minute ventilation were significantly higher in the thoracic and lumbar cord level groups compared to the cervical cord level group (p＜0.05). There was a significant difference between all 3 groups in respect to total duration of exercise (p＜0.05). The HDL- cholesterol level showed significant correlation with total exercise time (p＜0.05). Conclusion: Cardiopulmonary evaluation by specialized wheel chair system in spinal cord injured patients may be more safe and accurate method compared to the previous examination. (J Korean Acad Rehab Med 2006; 30: 236-240)
