SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 31 December (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Preanesthetic Prehabilitation Unit at Nuestra Señora de Candelaria University Hospital, part of the Ministry of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, has assisted 489 patients since it commenced operations nearly three years ago.
Through a multidisciplinary team of experts, individuals scheduled for complex surgical procedures receive care aimed at enhancing their functional capacity and adequately preparing them for both the operation and the recovery period, lasting four weeks.
Presently, patients preparing for a cystectomy, hysterectomy, esophagogastric surgeries, complex thoracic or pancreatic procedures, and those involving intraoperative chemotherapy for cancers of either gynaecological or intestinal origin are being treated.
This unit, established and overseen by the Anesthesiology Service, includes surgical specialists from Urology and General Surgery, as well as a multidisciplinary team comprising professionals from Endocrinology, Hematology, and Rehabilitation services, who collaborate via interconsultations between departments to offer the most comprehensive treatment possible.
Typically, the profile of users accessing this service comprises individuals aged between 65 and 80 years, characterised by reduced physical fitness, low activity levels, and diminished lung capacity, largely attributable to age, a sedentary lifestyle, and pre-existing health conditions.
Patients are required to engage in specific nutritional and physiotherapeutic programmes tailored to their individual cases during the four weeks leading up to their surgery.
Furthermore, respiratory and mobility physiotherapy may be recommended as necessary, and patients are encouraged to eliminate any detrimental habits.
The establishment of this unit is backed by scientific research indicating that such therapy correlates with improved functional capacity and physiological reserves in patients. Consequently, the outlook for these individuals becomes more promising, especially following the muscle mass loss and deterioration of physical condition often associated with cancer, surgery, and the subsequent recovery period.
This approach has demonstrated a reduction in postoperative complications, which can further lead to a decrease in patients’ hospital stay by up to two days in certain instances.
