Effect of preoperative inspiratory muscle training combined with preoperative education on postoperative pulmonary complications in high-risk patients with lung cancer: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

• Published in: BMJ open 2024-11, Vol.14 (11), p.e084072
• Main Authors: Lu, Ting, Wang, Xichen, Shi, Zhixuan, Lv, Lan, Huang, Shuna, Ma, Ke, Ni, Jun
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attitudes; Body mass index; Breathing Exercises - methods; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Consent; Costs; Education; EDUCATION & TRAINING (see Medical Education & Training); Fitness training programs; Hospitals; Humans; Intervention; Lung cancer; Lung Neoplasms - surgery; Mortality; Oncology; Outpatient care facilities; Patient Education as Topic - methods; Performance evaluation; Postoperative Complications - prevention & control; Preoperative Care - methods; Preoperative Exercise; Protocol; Quality of Life; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Rehabilitation; Rehabilitation medicine; Respiratory Muscles - physiopathology; Schedules; Thoracic surgery
• ISSN: 2044-6055; 2044-6055
• DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-084072

IntroductionPreoperative inspiratory muscle training (IMT) is recognised as an important component of the preoperative management of lung cancer, although there is limited evidence for the delivery of a home-based IMT programme combined with preoperative education. We developed a programme combining short-term home-based IMT and preoperative physiotherapy education (‘the programme’). This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of this programme in reducing postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) after lung cancer resection compared with standard care.Methods and analysisIn this randomised controlled trial, 114 participants scheduled for lung cancer surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Fujian Medical University will be randomly assigned (1:1) to either receive usual care (information booklet) or usual care combined with the programme, which consist of short-term home-based IMT and preoperative physiotherapy education. The primary outcome measure will be PPCs using the Melbourne Group Score. Secondary outcomes will include health-related quality of life, maximal inspiratory pressure, 6 min walk distance, length of hospital stay, anxiety and depression levels, and hospital costs.Ethics and disseminationThe study has received ethics approval from the ethics committee of the first affiliated hospital of Fujian Medical University (approval no: MRCTA, ECFAH of MFU [2021]569). Participants will be required to provide written informed consent. The results of the study will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberChiCTR2300067464.