Prehabilitation of Frail Patients undergoing Elective Colorectal Surgery – a feasibility pilot study

Interventions: Preoperative tailored regimen of exercise with dietary advice.
Exercise will involve up to 12 sessions (maximum of three, 1-hour, small group sessions per week for 4 weeks supervised by an accredited exercise physiologist) of combined strength/cardiovascular/balance exercise in the 4 weeks prior to surgery.
Each exercise session will consist of:
- 5 mins warm-up (treadmill/mobility)
- 30 mins of circuit based combined strength/cardiovascular & balance exercises as follows = 2 sets of 8-12 reps per exercise (50% of predicted 1RM) of chest press, seated row, bicep curl, triceps extension, squat, & leg curl; AND 3-4 sets (1 min per round) of single leg balance (eyes open/closed)
- 20 mins of aerobic interval exercise (walking) based of high and low intensity at a ratio of 1:1 (1 min of higher intensity exercise [e.g. 50% heart rate reserve] interspersed with 1 min of lower intensity [e.g. 25% heart rate reserve]
- 5 mins cool down (treadmill/mobility)
Generic dietary advice will involve a single 1-hour, one-on-one educational session with a allied health professional.
All participants will maintain a diary of all exercise activities during the study.
Primary outcome(s): Aerobic capacity or exercise tolerance, assessed by 6 minute walk distance (6MWD)[Baseline, pre-operation and ~30 days follow-up.]
Study Design: Purpose: Treatment; Allocation: Randomised controlled trial; Masking: Blinded (masking used);Assignment: Parallel;Type of endpoint: Efficacy