Why the study?
Low cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with increased perioperative morbidity and mortality, but evidence regarding the effect of prehabilitation on cardiorespiratory fitness and postoperative outcomes remains inconclusive.
Does physical exercise prehabilitation improve 6-minute walk distance and postoperative outcomes in adult patients undergoing elective surgery?
Population
1649 adult patients scheduled for elective surgery across 21 RCTs
Comparison
Prehabilitation with physical exercise vs control
Design
Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials
Follow-up
First month after surgery
Key result
Prehabilitation with exercise improved preoperative 6-minute walk distance by 29m and persisted postoperatively but did not reduce hospital stay or mortality.
Authors
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Improves perioperative fitness without shortening stay or cutting mortality; extends surrogate gains but challenges translation to clinical outcomes.
Does physical exercise prehabilitation improve 6-minute walk distance and postoperative outcomes in adult patients undergoing elective surgery?
Preoperative physical exercise prehabilitation improves cardiorespiratory fitness before and after surgery, but does not significantly impact length of hospital stay or mortality.
Díaz-Vidal et al. (2025) studied this question. Prehabilitation with exercise improved preoperative 6-minute walk distance by 29m and persisted postoperatively but did not reduce hospital stay or mortality.