The association between objectively measured preoperative light-intensity physical activity and postoperative ambulation in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.
Takuya Yanagisawa, Noriatsu Tatematsu, Mioko Horiuchi and 5 others
PMID 38186968WHAT IT FOUND
More preoperative light activity was linked to walking 150 m without help sooner after gastrointestinal cancer surgery, even when age, preoperative walking distance, and depression were considered.
This is an association, not proof that adding light activity helps.
Key findings
01Preoperative light-intensity physical activity was associated with days to first postoperative ambulation after adjusting for age, preoperative 6-minute walk distance, and depression (β=-0.583, B=-0.005, p=0.012). The reported coefficients were negative.
02Preoperative moderate-to-vigorous physical activity was associated with days to first ambulation when adjusted for age (β=-0.628, p=0.040), but not after age, 6-minute walk distance, and depression were also considered (β=-0.371, p=0.226).
03Sedentary behavior was not associated with days to first ambulation before or after adjusting for confounders (β=0.299, p=0.224).
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 42 patients were analysed after 28 of 70 were excluded for insufficient accelerometer data, so the findings are narrow. The study is observational, so it shows association, not that increasing light activity causes earlier ambulation. All patients had performance status 0 or 1 and were independent in daily activities before admission, so it may not apply to frailer patients. Days to first ambulation was defined as walking 150 m continuously without help, a higher bar than some previous studies, which may change how delayed ambulation relates to complications and length of stay. Pain was the most common reason for delayed ambulation, but pain severity at the time of ambulation was not measured. The sample size was too small to adjust for other confounders and fully investigate relationships with postoperative outcomes.
Declared interests
This work was supported in part by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 18H03127 from the Japan Society for the Promotion Science. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that prescribing more light activity before surgery will make patients walk sooner. This was an association in 42 analysed patients, not a tested intervention.