Did you know that one out of nine people in the U.S. report undergoing at least one surgical procedure in the past year? And for people receiving Medicare, that number hits one in five.
Unfortunately, things don't always go smoothly.
A study in The BMJ identified adverse events in more than one-third of U.S. patients admitted to the hospital for surgery.
On top of that, nearly half of those surgical/postsurgical problems were major — and most were potentially preventable.
Luckily, you have some control over how you fare after major elective surgery.
A study in JAMA Surgery shows that when you get prehab that provides information on appropriate physical activity and nutrition (and you follow that advice), are offered cognition training, and practice mindfulness, you can protect yourself from surgery-related infections and postsurgical cognition problems.
Just two weekly sessions of one-on-one, remote coaching were found to alter a person's immune system, reduce inflammatory reactions, and improve physical and cognitive functioning before surgery — and decrease postsurgical complications.
Management of stress, improved physical strength, and better self-care are likely reasons for the benefits.
I've been advocating smart prehab — including presurgical walking, smoking cessation, and blood pressure control — since I was co-chair of Cardiovascular Anesthesia at the University of California, San Francisco, in 1979. I’ve known since then that it can increase your chance for a good outcome without complications.
If you're headed for surgery, ask your doctor about available prehab programs, and take charge of your future health and happiness with the information in my book, "The Great Age Reboot."