Speaker
Description
Background
This case study presents the multidisciplinary clinical management of an 82-year-old colorectal cancer patient through three surgeries. The Clinical Exercise Physiologist runs the General Practitioner (GP) exercise referral scheme and the cancer prehabilitation and rehabilitation service with University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust.
Case Presentation
All patients undergo a Cardiopulmonary Exercise Test (CPET) to stratify their risk prior to surgery. The CEP receives a summary, along with their medical history and high-intensity interval recommendations expressed in Watts. Patient A came through with an identified higher risk of complications post-surgery, with a leaky tricuspid valve.
Patient A’s exercise prescription post-hip surgery was regressed, involving aerobic work on a stationary bike, during which they completed only 15 minutes in their first session. They barely reached their upper heart rate of 99 bpm during the lower interval but hit 25 watts consistently. This is due to shortness of breath on exertion. They increased their training time to 40 minutes of continuous cycling after three weeks of sessions, prior to their tricuspid valve surgery. They built their fitness up again, ready for the final surgery for their colorectal cancer, improving their cardiovascular fitness to complete the full workload above, comfortably hitting 45-50 Watts during the high intervals.
Discussion
This patient required a multidisciplinary team to help them progress through their cancer journey, from the CEP to the peri-operative team and their cardiologist. This was to ensure the patient was safe to exercise in their recovery between surgeries. Patient A recovered well from all three surgeries and found that their quality of life and fitness improved drastically, especially after their cardiac surgery.
Conclusion
This case study has shown how valuable exercise prescription is to recovery between surgeries. Exercise prescription is a useful tool for cancer patients awaiting surgery and can improve their outcomes post-surgery.
Keywords
Prehabilitation; Cancer; Exercise Physiology.
| Abstract submitters declaration | yes |
|---|---|
| Conflict of Interest & Ethical Approval | yes |
