Pre-operative physiotherapy for elderly patients undergoing abdominal surgery
South African Journal of Physiotherapy
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Pre-operative physiotherapy for elderly patients undergoing abdominal surgery | |
| Creator | Labuschagne, Rozelle Roos, Ronel | |
| Description | Background: Elderly patients report a decrease in function and activities of daily living following abdominal surgery. The objectives of our pilot study were to determine the effects of a single pre-operative physiotherapy session consisting of education and exercise on clinical and physical function outcomes in elderly patients.Methods/design: A single-blind pilot randomised controlled trial evaluated clinical and functional outcomes of elderly patients following surgery in a private hospital in Pretoria, South Africa. The outcomes included length of hospital stay (LOS), postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC), first mobilisation uptime, DeMorton Mobility Index (DEMMI), 6-minute walk test (6MWT), Lawton–Brody’s instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) and the Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI). Descriptive and inferential statistics were undertaken, and statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.Discussion: Twelve participants (n = 11 female [91.67%] and n = 1 [8.33%] male) with a mean age of 65.75 (±4.47) years were included. Most participants (n = 10, 83.33%) underwent lower abdominal laparotomy (n = 10, 83.33%). The median hospital LOS was n = 4 (IQR 3.25–4) days; walking distance at first mobilisation was 130 m (IQR (85–225), with intervention participants walking further (intervention: 177 m, IQR 100–242.50; control: 90, IQR 60 m – 245 m; p = 0.59). Recruitment was low, with only 10.95% referrals and 47.82% nonconsents.Conclusion: A single physiotherapy session prior to surgery demonstrated a potential favourable change in elderly patients’ mobility postoperatively; however, further research is necessary.Clinical implication: A once-off pre-operative physiotherapy session could enhance recovery in elderly patients.Trial registration: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry, PACTR201809874713904, https://pactr.samrc.ac.za/TrialDisplay.aspx?TrialID=3593 | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2022-09-27 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/sajp.v78i1.1782 | |
| Source | South African Journal of Physiotherapy; Vol 78, No 1 (2022); 9 pages 2410-8219 0379-6175 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://sajp.co.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1782/3022
https://sajp.co.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1782/3023
https://sajp.co.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1782/3024
https://sajp.co.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/1782/3025
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT
