Effect of a Two-Week Personalized High Intensity Fitness Program Before Major Abdominal Surgery to Improve Preoperative Fitness

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are studying the effects of a personalized high-intensity prehabilitation program lasting two weeks on preoperative fitness in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. The study focuses on reducing the risk of major cardiac cardiovascular events MACE within 30 days after surgery, which depends not only on patient-related risk factors but also on the type of surgery performed. Preoperative aerobic fitness, measured by oxygen uptake at the ventilatory anaerobic threshold VAT below 11 mLkgmin, has been linked to higher risks of complications after surgery. Participants are randomly assigned to either standard care without a preoperative fitness program or to a group receiving a personalized high-intensity fitness training program. This program includes stamina, interval, and strength training based on guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine, with six supervised sessions over two weeks. The goal is to improve preoperative fitness prior to surgery through this condensed training schedule. During the study, participants preoperative fitness will be assessed based on oxygen uptake at VAT after two weeks. Additionally, quality of life will be evaluated using the Quality of Life 36 QoL-36 scale, measuring patient well-being between randomization and the end of training before surgery. The study involves supervised training sessions by professional sports physicians and aims to monitor changes in fitness and quality of life over the preoperative period.

High Intensity PreHab Before Major Abdominal Surgery