Prehabilitation Program for Patients Awaiting Elective Heart Surgery at Increased Risk of Postoperative Complications: Feasibility and Potential Clinical Outcomes

Preliminary Evaluation of a Prehabilitation Program for Adults Awaiting Elective Heart Surgery and at Increased Risk of Postoperative Complications

The goal of this study is to learn if an exercise-based prehabilitation program can help people who are waiting for heart surgery and are at higher risk of complications recover better.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

Can a home-based prehabilitation program prescribed by a physiotherapist be done safely and realistically before heart surgery?

Participants will:

Take part in a personalized exercise program for a 8 to 16 weeks before surgery

Do breathing muscle training at home

Meet with a physiotherapist once a week, either in person or by video call

Be assessed before and after the program

Researchers will compare the postoperative results with those of patients who received usual care only.

Inclusion Criteria:

• A high risk of perioperative and postoperative complications. This risk is determined based on the predictive thresholds for postoperative complications.
• A waiting period of at least 8 weeks.
• Access to a smartphone, tablet, or computer for videoconference visits.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unstable angina, malignant arrhythmias, active endocarditis/myocarditis, myocardial infarction within the last 2 weeks, left main coronary artery disease ≥ 50% on coronary angiography, severe aortic stenosis, severe mitral insufficiency, and decompensated heart failure.
• Any other acute condition affecting vital signs or causing significant symptoms.
• Physical or cognitive impairment limiting the ability to participate in the program.