Exercise and eating better prior to surgery cuts complication risks – study
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Exercising prior to surgery could slash the risk of complications by half, according to new analysis. And combining increased activity with a better diet and psychological support could reduce risks by more than a third, a study suggests. A combination of support was also associated with shorter stays in hospital after an operation.
While so-called “prehabilitation” – or actively preparing patients for surgery using exercise, nutritional advice, psychological support and cognitive training – is “very promising”, researchers said there is an “urgent need” for multi-centre trials to support its wider implementation.
The analysis by Canadian academics, published in the BMJ, included data from 186 trials involving a total of 15,684 patients. It found that exercising prior to surgery reduced the risk of complications by 50%, while support with diet led to a 38% reduced risk.
Combining exercise with eating better and psychological support was associated with a 36% reduced risk. Dr Daniel McIsaac, anaesthesiologist and senior scientist at the Ottawa Hospital and clinical research chair in perioperative innovation at the University of Ottawa, said: “We know that people who are more physically fit tend to recover faster from surgery and suffer fewer complications.
“While many patients, with encouragement from their doctors, want to improve their fitness before surgery, patients often aren’t sure where or how to start. “The goal of our research programme is to develop a simple and effective approach to prehabilitation that can benefit the largest number of patients in meaningfully improving their surgical recovery and help patients get home faster after surgery.”.
