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Rehabilitation for Thoracic Surgical Patients: Why, When, and How

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Abstract

Currently, only 10–20 % of patients diagnosed with lung cancer are eligible for curative surgical resection. Reasons to dismiss surgical treatment are not only related to advanced oncologic disease but also to severe comorbid conditions and poor functional capacity. Indeed, aerobic fitness has been associated with clinical outcome in lung cancer patients beyond staging. Low peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) or poor exercise tolerance has been identified as a strong predictor of perioperative complications and postoperative short-term mortality. Therefore implementation of pre- and postoperative muscle training to improve fitness, as best estimated by cardiopulmonary exercise test measuring VO2peak, should be considered to downgrade high-risk patient into a lower-risk profile. Over these last two decades, numerous studies have been published, supporting the safety and feasibility of implementing physical training programs. However, we urgently need high-quality research studies in order to more precisely tailor these rehabilitation programs to each specific group of patients.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anaesthesiology, Pharmacology, and Intensive Care, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland

    Grégoire Blaudszun & Marc Joseph Licker

  2. Service of Thoracic and Endocrine Surgery, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva, Switzerland

    Frédéric Triponez

  3. Division of Pulmonary Medicine, Geneva University Hospitals, Geneva,, Switzerland

    Pierre-Olivier Bridevaux

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  1. Grégoire Blaudszun
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  2. Frédéric Triponez
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  3. Pierre-Olivier Bridevaux
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  4. Marc Joseph Licker
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marc Joseph Licker .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

    Mert Şentürk

  2. Department of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care, Istanbul University, Istanbul Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey

    Mukadder Orhan Sungur

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Blaudszun, G., Triponez, F., Bridevaux, PO., Licker, M.J. (2017). Rehabilitation for Thoracic Surgical Patients: Why, When, and How. In: Şentürk, M., Orhan Sungur, M. (eds) Postoperative Care in Thoracic Surgery. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19908-5_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19908-5_18

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