Johanneke Hartog conducted extensive research into the effect of this programme. She obtained her doctorate on 13 September on the subject. Since 2015, Heart Centre and Rehabilitation Centre of UMCG have offered the programme jointly. Heart patients follow a tailor-made training programme. As a result, they undergo their surgery as fit as possible; this is called prehabilitation. Within a week after surgery, they continue the programme. The aim is to reduce post-operative complications and reoperations. It should also lead to better fitness, functioning and quality of life for patients.
The popular wisdom that with heart problems you should avoid all exertion and take it easy is now very outdated, according to Hartog. Hartog: 'Exercise should, always and everywhere', you could almost say. Our research shows that by offering this form of prehabilitation, patients who have to undergo heart surgery can move and train completely safely. Even for patients who have to undergo major heart surgery. The workouts are very well supervised, no cardiac incidents involving patients have ever occurred. The participants are very satisfied, they also recommend it to other heart patients. I or the practitioners regularly get thank-you notes from patients that I had discussed the programme with them and that they were able to participate.'
For her study, Hartog compared the data of 91 patients who participated in the programme with 789 patients who had not attended prehabilitation. In them, she saw a decrease in the number of cardiac arrhythmias after surgery. Hartog: ''In addition, eight weeks after surgery, patients can already exert themselves more than before surgery.
We can see this by measuring heart rate and load during cycle training. We expect this to make it easier for them to resume their daily lives.That means savings in medical and social costs.'Hartog also experiences that patients have less fear of surgery.Hartog: 'They regularly say to me: 'I do feel confident about the operation.''
During her PhD trajectory, Johanneke Hartog extended the still ongoing Heart-ROCQ study by comparing a group of patients who did and did not follow the programme.'I am now following a group of 350 patients in total, half of whom are doing the programme. In both groups, we will also check how they are doing a year after surgery. Those results will hopefully provide robust evidence that patients are better off if they follow the programme.'This study will be completed in 2025.
Johanneke Hartog completed her PhD at the University of Groningen on 13 September under the supervision of Prof M.A. Mariani.
The title of her thesis is: 'Heart Rehabilitation in patients awaiting Open heart surgery targeting Complication prevention and Quality of life improvement - Preparation, initiation, and interim-results of the Heart-ROCQ study'. She is now working as a postdoctoral researcher in the department of cardio-thoracic surgery at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG).
On 21 September, a major congress on prehabilitation will take place at the UMCG: 3rd National Prehabilitation Congress (eventsair.com) Here, all medical aspects of prehabilitation for diverse patient groups will be discussed.
