ERAS and early mobilisation: a 2022 review
2022 review of early mobilisation in ERAS pathways: complications, walking again, hospital stay. A summary, not a new study.
Blog · Steps and oxygenation
Exercise and lung surgery: a meta-analysis of seven studies
Meta-analysis of seven studies, 404 people having lung cancer surgery: those who exercised first had fewer complications. The 5,000 steps come from one.
A systematic review and meta-analysis in Cancer Management and Research (2019) pooled seven studies with 404 people having surgery for lung cancer, with or without COPD. People who exercised before the operation had fewer pulmonary complications afterwards (odds ratio 0.44) and a shorter hospital stay. Distance in the 6-Minute Walk Test (SMD 71.25) and peak VO₂ also improved.
Where the 5,000 steps come from
The 5,000 steps a day come from one of the seven studies: a programme for people with COPD that combined breathing exercises and walking. That study was not randomised (60 people against 22).
The 5,000 steps were the goal that one programme set itself; the meta-analysis did not validate them as a threshold.
A protocol in a study is not a program for you.
The 6-Minute Walk Test
The 6MWT is a common test of functional capacity before surgery: you walk at a steady pace for 6 minutes and the distance is measured. In the meta-analysis the distance improved; the authors read it as a sign of stronger leg muscles, while lung function did not change.
What the study says about the mechanism
The authors write that the mechanism by which exercise improves outcomes is still unknown. For people with COPD, the reduction in pulmonary complications was not clear (odds ratio 0.44, with an interval that includes no effect): more studies are needed.
The Digital Twin and this research
The Digital Twin lines up the data your devices write to your phone, such as steps, heart rate and sleep, and shows you how they change over time. It does not set the programme and it does not diagnose: this research describes groups of people, not you. Preparation for surgery is decided and followed by the care team.
The source is at the bottom. Open it.
The source
This summary starts from research by others. It is not medical advice for you: talk it over with your doctor.
Their study. Your data.
Related reading
Exercise before major surgery: a 2014 review
2014 review: high-quality evidence for exercise before cardiovascular surgery; for other surgery, only circumstantial.
Exercise intensity and VO₂max: a meta-analysis of 14 trials
Meta-analysis of 14 randomised trials in abdominal and cardiothoracic surgery: effect of exercise on VO₂max 0.44, of HIIT 0.51. An average figure.
More studies, same rule: read the source.