Mobilization, Just 1 Component of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery

To the Editor I read with enthusiasm the study by Turan et al examining the association between the amount of postoperative mobilization and incidence of cardiovascular and pulmonary adverse events as a composite outcome and finding a linear association between decreased mobilization and the composite outcome. I want to describe an unrecognized confounder not addressed in the study limitations that may in part account for the results. The study methods consider several important patient- and procedure-related confounders, finding that their distribution was essentially equal between those who experienced and those who did not experience the composite outcome (Table 1 in the article). However, what was not described were the other practices that may be associated with increased mobilization of postoperative patients.
Source: JAMA Surgery - Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research