Journal of gastrointestinal surgery : official journal of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract
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J. Gastrointest. Surg. · Dec 2020
Meta AnalysisPrehabilitation Programs Improve Exercise Capacity Before and After Surgery in Gastrointestinal Cancer Surgery Patients: A Meta-Analysis.
Prehabilitation programs or interventions are employed prior to surgery with the aim to optimize the patient before surgery and to improve their physiologic ability to recover from surgery. Components of these programs often include exercise, nutritional supplementation, and psychological interventions. This meta-analysis examines the impact of prehabilitation programs on both surgical and patient outcomes among gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients undergoing surgery. ⋯ Prehabilitation programs improve exercise capacity both before and after surgery, with no significant difference in LOS, or rates of postoperative complications, 30-day readmission, and mortality. Future studies assessing the different components of prehabilitation programs to identify the most beneficial interventions are required.