Preoperative levels of physical activity can be increased in pancreatectomy patients via a remotely monitored, telephone-based intervention: A randomized trial

Background

Higher levels of preoperative physical activity are associated with improved outcomes after pancreatectomy, but it remains unclear if preoperative activity levels are modifiable.

Methods

Patients undergoing pancreatectomy were randomized 1:1 to a telephone-based intervention at least one week before surgery or to control. All patients wore wearable devices to remotely collect physical activity and clinical data.

Results

In total, 152 patients were enrolled and 83 completed the study (41 intervention and 42 control). The intervention group walked 4568 (SD 2522) average daily steps pre-intervention, which increased to 5071 (SD 3055) post-intervention (p = 0.042) (11.0% increase). The control group walked 5260 (SD 2795) average daily steps. There were no differences in the rate of severe complications between groups (intervention 22.9% vs control 20.5%, p = 0.807).

Conclusions

A telephone-based intervention increased average daily step count in patients scheduled to undergo pancreatectomy, demonstrating physical activity is a modifiable target for surgical prehabilitation protocols.