Clinical Research Directory

Bioimpedance Analysis in Perioperative Assessment in Thoracic Surgery

The assessment of surgical and postoperative risks in thoracic surgery is a field of significant interest because the surgical procedure causes substantial changes in the body's homeostasis. The postoperative course is characterized by considerable clinical variability compared to the preoperative classification, which highlights more homogeneous data among various patient groups. This variability appears to result from individual differences in response to extensive pulmonary resections. Notably, the homogeneity of preoperative data does not correlate with the greater variability observed in the postoperative course. The application of algorithms derived from BIVA in bioimpedance studies has proven particularly useful for prognostic assessments in oncology, as it can evaluate a patient's hydration status and muscle reserves at the time of diagnosis or the start of clinical/surgical treatment. Understanding body composition, particularly the quantity and/or quality of muscle mass, is essential for diagnosing sarcopenia. By passing a low-intensity alternating current (imperceptible to the patient) through the body, BIVA measures provide insights into body water distribution (both intracellular and extracellular), lean mass and skeletal muscle mass. Overall, the test offers a detailed picture of hydration status and skeletal muscle composition. Another validated tool for assessing sarcopenia, which provides information on both muscle quantity (via cross-sectional area measurements) and muscle quality (via muscle density measurements), is computed tomography (CT). CT imaging is typically performed for diagnostic and staging purposes before surgery in thoracic surgery patients, either alone or in combination with positron emission tomography (PET). Our study will focus on assessing correlations between clinical, imaging, and bioimpedance data and postoperative outcomes, with particular attention to the incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF), pulmonary atelectasis requiring treatment, and increased pleural drainage production. Additionally, we will evaluate the relationship between the surgical approach (open surgery vs. video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery, or VATS) and short-term bioimpedance values.

Perioperative Quantitative Sensory Testing and Incision Pain Mapping in Thoracic Surgery

Postoperative pain remains a common and clinically important burden after thoracic surgery and may progress to chronic postsurgical pain. Conventional pain assessment mainly relies on patient-reported pain intensity and analgesic consumption, which may not fully capture peri-incisional sensory abnormalities, mechanical hyperalgesia, or central sensitization. This prospective observational pilot cohort study aims to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of perioperative quantitative sensory testing (QST) and incision pain mapping in adult patients undergoing elective thoracoscopic or robotic-assisted lung resection. Participants will undergo baseline assessment before surgery, serial postoperative pain assessments during the first 72 hours, QST and mechanical hyperalgesia pain mapping at 48-72 hours after surgery, and follow-up assessments at discharge, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery. The primary feasibility outcomes include recruitment rate, QST completion rates, follow-up completion rates, QST-related discontinuation rate, study-related adverse events, and data completeness. The main clinical mechanistic outcome is the area of peri-incisional mechanical hyperalgesia at 48-72 hours after surgery. Secondary outcomes include acute postoperative pain intensity, pain burden over 72 hours, opioid consumption, quality of recovery, QST changes, pain-map characteristics, and chronic postsurgical pain at 3 months. This study will not assign or modify therapeutic interventions. All anesthetic, surgical, and analgesic management will be determined by the routine clinical care team. The study is expected to provide feasibility data, preliminary effect estimates, and mechanistic information for future larger perioperative pain studies.

The PRIMROSE Trial

Smoking is a major cause for developing lung cancer. People diagnosed with lung cancer, may be offered surgery which offers a complete cure. Smoking also damages the lungs and compromises a person's lung function, resulting in shortness of breath. Breathlessness limits the ability to carry out daily physical activities and exercise and makes people vulnerable to developing post procedure complications and even death. Some people with surgically treatable lung cancer have a poor ability to exercise and compromised lung function and are not fit for surgery. They will instead be referred for radiation therapy, chemotherapy or palliative care. Surgery is the preferred treatment option. The pulmonary rehabilitation program (Prehab) improves fitness levels. In addition, it improves the level of breathlessness, exercise capacity and vulnerability of people with lung cancer, with the aim of making them fit for safe surgery. By adding a breathing training device to the Prehab program, the investigators aim to further improve participants fitness for surgery, lower their risk of developing complications and the time spent in hospital after the procedure. The breathing training device is called an inspiratory muscle training device. The hand-held device helps to train and strengthen the breathing muscles, which are then able to work more effectively. After the procedure, participants may be able to breathe and exercise more easily reducing their risk of developing complications and improving outcomes. The study will compare two groups of people with lung cancer having surgical removal of part of the lung, at a specialist hospital . One group will receive standard Prehab and inspiratory muscle training with the device prior to the procedure; patients in the second group with receive standard Prehab prior to the procedure. Participants will be followed up for twelve months.

Prehabilitation for Lung Cancer Patients Undergoing Lung Resection

Lung surgical resection is the gold standard treatment for earlier stages of lung cancer patients. Nevertheless, postoperative pulmonary complications (PPC) are frequent, related to morbidity and mortality, increasing length of hospital stay (LOS), hospital costs, delaying adjuvant treatments, and patients suffering. The PPC often occurs on postoperative days, even after hospital discharge. Prehabilitation might reduce PPC, although few studies have compared the effectiveness of different training protocols, and no information is available regarding the possible benefits of expiratory muscle training. Moreover, there are no comparisons of the cost-benefits of other protocols in patients submitted to lung resection surgery. This project investigates the effectiveness of and compares four different prehabilitation protocols in reducing PPC and LOS in patients selected for lung cancer resections. Participants will be individuals referred to surgical resection due to lung cancer. Patients who meet the inclusion criteria will be invited to participate in the study. After clinical data collection, patients will be randomly allocated (simple method) into four groups \[Control - CG, receiving an education session; Inspiratory muscle training group (IMT-G) receiving education session plus inspiratory muscle training (IMT); expiratory muscle training group (EMT-G) receiving education session plus expiratory muscle training (EMT); global exercise training group (GET-G) receiving education session plus a general exercise training (GET)\], and evaluated for functional capacity (pulmonary function, respiratory muscle function, physical fitness, daily physical activity, dyspnoea, fatigue, quality of life, anxiety, depression, and a 24-hour food diary. Afterward, all patients will receive an education class and written information regarding healthy habits to follow before, during, and after hospital discharge. Patients allocated to exercise groups will start the prehabilitation intervention for two weeks. After the intervention, patient assessments will be repeated. After that, patients will be submitted to surgery, and anesthetic and surgical procedure data will be collected. During hospital recovery, all patients will receive physiotherapy and any etiological complications and the LOS will be recorded according to medical criteria. After hospital discharge, PPC will be monitored and recorded for 30 days; by then, patients will be submitted to the final assessment.