Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41935176›Full record

SynthesisAging clinical and experimental research2026

Effects of prehabilitation programmes on postoperative outcomes in older adults undergoing major abdominal, cardiac or vascular surgery: a systematic review.

Fanny Buckinx, Anne-Françoise Rousseau, Edouard Louis, Arnaud De Roover, Olivier Detry, Rodolphe Durieux, Sophie Gillain, Abdourahamane Kaba, Jean-François Kaux, Vincent Tchana-Sato and 1 more

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Aging clinical and experimental research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Fanny BuckinxResearch Unit in public health, epidemiology and health economics, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium. fanny.buckinx@uliege.be.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9900-9157
Anne-Françoise RousseauIntensive Care Department, University Hospital of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Edouard LouisHepato-Gastroenterology and Digestive Oncology Department, University Hospital of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Arnaud De RooverDepartment of Abdominal Surgery and Transplantation, University Hospital of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Olivier DetryDepartment of Abdominal Surgery and Transplantation, University Hospital of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Rodolphe DurieuxDivision of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Sophie GillainGeriatric Department, University Hospital of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Abdourahamane KabaDepartment of Anaesthesiology, Service of Abdominal Surgery, University Hospital of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Jean-François KauxDepartment of Physical Activity and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Vincent Tchana-SatoDivision of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital of Liege, Liege, Belgium.
Olivier BruyèreResearch Unit in public health, epidemiology and health economics, University of Liege, Liege, Belgium.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOlder adults undergoing major abdominal, cardiac, or vascular surgery are highly vulnerable to postoperative complications, prolonged hospitalisation, functional decline, and mortality. Sarcopenia and frailty reduce physiological reserve, underscoring the potential role of prehabilitation in improving resilience to surgical stress and postoperative outcomes.

objectiveTo evaluate the effects of exercise-based prehabilitation, alone or combined with nutritional, psychological, or educational components, on postoperative outcomes, including complications, length of stay, readmissions, mortality, quality of life, and economic indicators, as well as on body composition, functional reserve, and biological markers, in adults aged ≥ 65 years undergoing major abdominal, cardiac, or vascular surgery.

methodsMedline, Scopus and EMBASE were searched for Randomised Controlled trials assessing prehabilitation programmes in older adults undergoing major abdominal, cardiac or vascular surgery. Data on study characteristics, interventions, outcomes, and methodological quality were extracted and synthesized narratively.

resultsNine studies (n = 36–182; mean/median age 68–82) were included. Interventions lasted 2–6 weeks and involved exercise alone or multimodal programmes, delivered in-person, remotely, or via hybrid approaches. Vascular surgery studies showed modest reductions in complications and hospital stay, whereas abdominal surgery studies generally reported no significant improvements, except for isolated reductions in severe complications or gains in functional reserve. No studies involving cardiac surgery were identified.

conclusionPrehabilitation in older adults remains understudied, especially in frail patients, the oldest old, and cardiac surgery. Robust trials are needed to assess individualized, multimodal, sarcopenia-targeted interventions and to integrate biological markers to clarify underlying mechanisms.

Indexed as

AbdomenCardiac Surgical ProceduresPostoperative ComplicationsPreoperative ExerciseVascular Surgical ProceduresAgedAged, 80 and overHumansLength of StayPreoperative CareQuality of LifeSarcopeniaTreatment OutcomeAbdominal surgeryCardiovascular surgeryExerciseOlder adultsPostoperative outcomes.Prehabilitation

Identifiers

PMID41935176
PMCPMC13180763

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.