Accelerated Pulmonary Rehabilitation in the Preoperative Period
University of Vermont
Summary
This proposed project will be a single arm, non-masked study. Participants who are actively smoking with a diagnosis of a new lung nodule, either confirmed or suspicious for lung cancer, with a plan for lung cancer treatment with or without surgical resection will be recruited from the University of Vermont Medical Center (UVMMC)pulmonary, cardiothoracic surgery, and Lung Multidisciplinary Clinic (LMDC). All patients will be enrolled in prehab and offered smoking cessation therapy. The acceptability and feasibility of this intervention will be measured by percent enrollment in study, attendance, barriers to completion, and monitoring of adverse events. The effect of prehab will be measured by traditional metrics, including fitness, respiratory symptoms, and depression scale. Research outcomes will be measured by smoking habits, anxiety, and surgical complications. Investigators estimate that 20 participants over a two-year period will be sufficient to measure the safety and feasibility of this study. Investigators aim to enroll, on average, 2 participants per month in order to complete this study in a timely fashion. Participants will be enrolled in prehab on a rolling basis, as to not delay surgical timeline.
Description
The benefits of pulmonary rehab (PR) prior to lung resection have not been well-studied in the population that could benefit from it the most, patients with COPD who smoke. This study would be innovative in two major ways. First, the impact of prehab in those who smoke could be established. Secondly, the optimal model of prehab, which meets the clinical needs of the patient in the pre-surgical window, and aligns with the current model of PR, could be determined. Screening and Recruitment Investigators estimate that 20 participants over a two-year period will be sufficient to measure the safet…