Combination of preoperative pulmonary and nutritional preparation for esophagectomy

Sarcopenia and risk of postoperative pneumonia: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Identifying patients at risk for postoperative pneumonia and preventing it in advance is crucial for improving the prognoses of patients undergoing surgery. This review aimed to interpret the predictive value of sarcopenia on postoperative pneumonia.

METHODS

Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), Embase, Medline, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from inception to August 2nd, 2023 to retrieve eligible studies. The risk of bias was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). For each study, we computed the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for postoperative pneumonia in patients with and without preoperative sarcopenia, and the I-squared (I2) test was employed to estimate heterogeneity.

RESULTS

The search identified 6530 studies, and 32 studies including 114,532 participants were analyzed in this review. In most of the studies included, the risk of bias was moderate. The most reported surgical site was the chest and abdomen, followed by the abdomen, chest, limbs and spine, and head and neck. Overall, patients with preoperative sarcopenia have a 2.62-fold increased risk of developing postoperative pneumonia compared to non-sarcopenic patients [OR 2.62 (I2 = 67.5%, 95%CI 2.04-3.37). Subgroup analysis focusing on different surgical sites revealed that sarcopenia has the strongest predictive effect on postoperative pneumonia following abdominal surgery (OR 4.69, I2 = 0, 95% CI 3.06-7.19). Subgroup analyses targeting different types of research revealed that sarcopenia has a stronger predictive effect on postoperative pneumonia in prospective studies (OR 5.84 vs. 2.22).

CONCLUSIONS

Our research findings indicate that preoperative sarcopenia significantly increases the risk of postoperative pneumonia. Future high-quality prospective studies and intervention studies are needed to validate the relationship between sarcopenia and postoperative pneumonia and improve patient outcomes.

Effect of inspiratory muscle training in esophageal cancer patients receiving esophagectomy: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

PURPOSE

To identify the clinical effect of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) among esophageal cancer patients undergoing esophagectomy based on randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

METHODS

Several databases were searched for relevant RCTs up to August 23, 2023. Primary outcomes were respiratory muscle function, including the maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximum expiratory pressure (MEP), and pulmonary function, including the forced expiratory volume in one second % (FEV1%), forced vital capacity% (FVC%), maximal ventilator volume (MVV), FEV1/FVC% and FVC. The secondary outcomes were exercise performance, including the six-minute walk distance test (6MWT) and Borg index; mental function and quality of life, as evaluated by the Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale (HADS) and Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) score; and postoperative complications. All the statistical analyses were performed with REVMAN 5.3 software.

RESULTS

Eight RCTs were included in this meta-analysis, with 368 patients receiving IMT and 371 control subjects. The pooled results demonstrated that IMT could significantly enhance respiratory muscle function (MIP: MD = 7.14 cmH2O, P = 0.006; MEP: MD = 8.15 cmH2O, P<0.001) and pulmonary function (FEV1%: MD = 6.15%, P<0.001; FVC%: MD = 4.65%, P<0.001; MVV: MD = 8.66 L, P<0.001; FEV1/FVC%: MD = 5.27%, P = 0.03; FVC: MD = 0.50 L, P<0.001). Furthermore, IMT improved exercise performance (6MWT: MD = 66.99 m, P = 0.02; Borg index: MD = -1.09, P<0.001), mental function and quality of life (HADS anxiety score: MD = -2.26, P<0.001; HADS depression score: MD = -1.34, P<0.001; NHP total score: MD = -48.76, P<0.001). However, IMT did not significantly decrease the incidence of postoperative complications.

CONCLUSION

IMT improves clinical outcomes, such as respiratory muscle function and pulmonary function, in esophageal cancer patients receiving esophagectomy and has potential for broad applications in the clinic.

Nutritional Assessment and Interventions in Elective Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: a Detailed Review and Guide to Management

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

8.5 to 50% of total joint arthroplasty (TJA) patients are reported to have preoperative malnutrition. The narrative review identifies the relationship between preoperative malnutrition for TJA patients and postoperative outcomes as well as the use of perioperative nutritional intervention to improve postoperative complications.

RECENT FINDINGS

Biochemical/laboratory, anthropometric, and clinical measures have been widely used to identify preoperative nutritional deficiency. Specifically, serum albumin is the most prevalent used marker in TJA because it has been proven to be correlated with protein-energy malnutrition due to the surgical stress response. However, there remains a sustained incidence of preoperative malnutrition in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients due to a lack of agreement among the available nutritional screening tools and utilization of isolated laboratory, anthropometric, and clinical variables. Previous investigations have also suggested preoperative malnutrition to be a prognostic indicator of complications in general, cardiac, vascular, and orthopaedic surgery specialties. Serum albumin, prealbumin, transferrin, and total lymphocyte count (TLC) can be used to identify at-risk patients. It is important to employ these markers in the preoperative setting because malnourished TKA and THA patients have shown to have worse postoperative outcomes including prolonged length, increased reoperation rates, increased infection rates, and increased mortality rates. Although benefits from high-protein and high-anti-inflammatory diets have been exhibited, additional research is needed to confirm the use of perioperative nutritional intervention as an appropriate treatment for preoperative TJA patients.

Respiratory Sarcopenia and Sarcopenic Respiratory Disability: Concepts, Diagnosis, and Treatment

The condition of muscle fiber atrophy and weakness that occurs in respiratory muscles along with systemic skeletal muscle with age is known as respiratory sarcopenia. The Japanese Working Group of Respiratory Sarcopenia of the Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Nutrition narratively reviews these areas, and proposes the concept and diagnostic criteria. We have defined respiratory sarcopenia as "whole-body sarcopenia and low respiratory muscle mass followed by low respiratory muscle strength and/or low respiratory function." Respiratory sarcopenia can be caused by various factors such as aging, decreased activity, undernutrition, disease, cachexia, and iatrogenic causes. We have also created an algorithm for diagnosing respiratory sarcopenia. Respiratory function decreases with age in healthy older people, along with low respiratory muscle mass and strength. We have created a new term, "Presbypnea," meaning a decline in respiratory function with aging. Minor functional respiratory disability due to aging, such as that indicated by a modified Medical Research Council level 1 (troubled by shortness of breath when hurrying or walking straight up hill), is an indicator of presbypnea. We also define sarcopenic respiratory disability as "a disability with deteriorated respiratory function that results from respiratory sarcopenia." Sarcopenic respiratory disability is diagnosed if respiratory sarcopenia is present with functional disability. Cases of respiratory sarcopenia without functional disability are diagnosed as "at risk of sarcopenic respiratory disability." Functional disability is defined as a modified Medical Research Council grade of 2 or more. Rehabilitation nutrition, treatment that combines rehabilitation and nutritional management, may be adequate to prevent and treat respiratory sarcopenia and sarcopenic respiratory disability.

Pre- and postoperative respiratory muscle strength, body mass index and fasting glucose profile of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus submitted to metabolic surgery

Abstract Introduction: The lung is considered a target organ in diabetes mellitus as a consequence of alterations secondary to chronic hyperglycemia that compromise respiratory muscle strength. Metabolic surgery for improving diabetes mellitus has beneficial effects on weight loss and glucose metabolism. Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the respiratory muscle strength, assessed by MIP and MEP, body mass index (BMI) and fasting glucose profile of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus before and after metabolic surgery without gastric resection. Method: Seventeen patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus participated in the study. The participants had a mean age of 44.8 ± 11.81 years. Results: The results showed a significant decrease of MEP values in the immediate postoperative period when compared to the preoperative period (p=0.001), while no significant results were obtained for MIP. Regarding BMI and fasting glucose, significant weight loss and a significant reduction in fasting glucose levels were observed in the late postoperative period (p=0.006 and p=0.007, respectively). Conclusion: The MIP and MEP were reestablished and satisfactory results were obtained for BMI and fasting glucose in the late postoperative period. Further studies are needed to monitor patients in the pre- and postoperative period of metabolic surgery, identifying complications and acting on the care and recovery of these patients.