Prehabilitation of the Thoracic Surgery Patient

Outcomes after thoracic surgery are better predicted by preoperative evaluation of patients' physiologic reserve (also known as personal biologic age rather than chronologic age), using validated assessment tools in multidisciplinary collaboration with geriatricians. Targetable risk factors should be identified, and methods should be utilized to minimize these risks. Prehabilitation has been validated as a tool to increase functional and nutritional status of patients undergoing surgery in other specialties and improve outcomes. Although research is still limited in thoracic surgery, early results are promising.