Prehabilitation

The wait before elective cardiac intervention or surgery presents an opportunity to prevent further physiologic decline preoperatively in older patients. Implementation of prehabilitation programs decreases length of hospital stay postoperatively, decreases time spent in the intensive care unit, decreases postoperative complications, and improves self-reported quality of life postsurgery. Prehabilitation programs should adopt multimodal approaches including nutrition, exercise, and worry reduction to improve patient resilience in the preoperative period. High-quality research in larger cohorts is needed, and interventions focusing on underrepresented frailer populations and women. Creative ways to improve accessibility, adherence, and benefits received from prehabilitation should be explored.
Source: Clinics in Geriatric Medicine - Category: Geriatrics Authors: Source Type: research