Prehabilitation's effect on skeletal muscle mass in cardiac patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The effect of Prehabilitation on appendicular skeletal muscle mass in cardiac patients awaiting first time elective surgery
IRAS ID
330187
Contact name
Stefan Birkett
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Manchester Metropolitan University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 6 days
Research summary
Cardiac surgery is a medical intervention that aims to improve patient short- and long-term outcomes (Weerink et al., 2020). There are less than 20,000 cardiac procedures that take place in the United Kingdom each year (NACSA, 2022). It is stated, the number of patients waiting over one year for cardiac surgery or procedure is 267 times higher than before COVID 19 (BHF, 2022). With further data suggesting the average wait time for elective cardiac surgery is 104 days (NACSA, 2022). It is predicted these figures will continue to rise, with an estimated 395,000 people to be waiting for a cardiac test or procedure by April 2023 (BHF, 2022). The continuing delay for cardiac procedures, inevitably creates worry and uncertainty for patients, initiating patient deterioration, physically and mentally. Thus, increasing the risk of post operative complications (Waite et al., 2017). Frailty and low muscle mass correlate with poor post-operative outcomes, lower physical function, and lower quality of life (Yuguchi et al., 2019; Murphy et al., 2020). Research regarding prehabilitation in cancer patients has demonstrated positive findings. Additionally, early pilot data for cardiac patients is encouraging. However, there are limited studies regarding prehabilitation in this cohort of patients, with no study assessing the impact of prehabilitation on skeletal muscle mass.
Therefore, the aim of this research is to examine the effect of prehabilitation on appendicular skeletal muscle mass in cardiac patients. We will assess appendicular skeletal muscle mass via dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) over three time points (baseline, 1 week pre-operation and 6 weeks post operation).
REC name
Wales REC 1
REC reference
24/WA/0098
Date of REC Opinion
18 Apr 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion