Innovative Surgical Sciences (Dec 2019)

Prehabilitation, making patients fit for surgery – a new frontier in perioperative care

  • Molenaar Charlotte J.L.,
  • Papen-Botterhuis Nicole E.,
  • Herrle Florian,
  • Slooter Gerrit D.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1515/iss-2019-0017
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4, no. 4
pp. 132 – 138

Abstract

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Optimizing a patients’ condition before surgery to improve the postoperative outcome can be achieved by using prehabilitation; preoperative interventions focusing on modifiable risk factors to improve the physical, nutritional, and mental status of the patient. A multimodal, multidisciplinary approach induces a synergistic effect between the various interventions and affects the outcome postoperatively. While awaiting higher-quality evidence, the worldwide implementation of prehabilitation programs has started, resulting in a true revolution in perioperative care.

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