Preop CPET Testing and Exercise Training in Colorectal Patients

Colorectal Surgery Preoperative Exercise Training is a study being run by the colorectal surgery team at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the University of East Anglia to look at the role of exercise before surgery to improve recovery following an operation. Having an operation to remove part of the bowel puts physical stress on the body. We know that training can help the body cope with physical stress in the same way that an athlete trains before a competition. We hypothesise that the body may recover more quickly if it is trained prior to an operation with regular and simple exercises. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) is used to evaluate the function of the lungs, heart and muscles at rest and during exercise. CPET testing is often done as part of standard pre-operative assessment in many hospitals for patients before undergoing major surgery. Some studies have demonstrated that CPET can be used to predict outcomes following surgery (such as time taken till discharge, complication rates).