LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND RECOVERY OF PHYSICAL FUNCTIONING AFTER GASTROINTESTINAL OR BLADDER ONCOLOGICAL SURGERY

P. Bor¹, M. de Leeuwerk², K. Valkenet¹, R. van Hillegersberg³, C. Veenhof^1,4

¹UMC Utrecht, Rehabilitation, Physiotherapy Sciences and Sports, Utrecht, Netherlands, ²Amsterdam University Medical Center, Rehabilitation Medicine, Amsterdam, Netherlands, ³UMC Utrecht, Surgery, Utrecht, Netherlands, ⁴HU University of Applied Sciences, Research Group Innovation of Human Movement Care, Utrecht, Netherlands

Background: Undergoing oncological surgery is a major life event which has a negative impact on patients physical functioning after discharge. Higher levels of physical activity after surgery may improve physical functioning after oncological surgery, however actual activity levels and their influence on recovery of physical functioning remain unclear.

Purpose: To investigate the recovery of physical functioning and objective physical activity levels up to 3 months after oncological surgery and to determine the association between physical activity levels and the recovery of physical functioning.

Methods: Longitudinal observational cohort study in patients who underwent gastrointestinal or bladder oncological surgery. Recovery of physical functioning was measured preoperatively, and 1 and 3 months after discharge. Physical activity was objectively measured with an accelerometer during hospitalization, and 1 and 3 months after discharge.

Results: Between February-November 2019, 68 patients were included. Half of the patients (49%) were not recovered in physical functioning 3 months after surgery. During hospitalization, physical activity increased from 13 to 46 median active minutes per day. At 1 and 3 months after discharge, patients were physically active for 138 and 159 median minutes per day respectively. Patients with higher levels of physical activity 1 month after discharge showed to have higher levels of physical functioning up to 3 months after discharge.

Conclusions: At 3 months after surgery, physical functioning is still diminished in half of the patients. It is important to evaluate both physical activity levels and physical functioning levels after surgery to enable tailored postoperative mobility care.

Implications: Insight in the actual levels of physical activity both during and after hospitalization and its association with patients’ recovery after oncological surgery, enables health care providers to optimize care which may support the return to normal physical functioning levels after surgery.

Funding acknowledgements: No funding

Keywords:
Physical activity
Physical functioning
Postoperative recovery

Topics:
Disability & rehabilitation
Health promotion & wellbeing/healthy ageing/physical activity

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: UMC Utrecht

Committee: METC

Ethics number: 19/026