Geriatric Thoracic Surgery Ambulation Challenge

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

Status: Enrolling

Conditions: Therapy, Exercise; Surgery; Thoracic Diseases

Treatments: Behavioral: Fitbit

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT04630496

20-061

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study is examining collecting data on steps walked (ambulation) per day by thoracic surgery patients over the age of 65 years-old before surgery.

The name(s) of the study device involved in this study is:

• Fitbit inspire

Full description

This research study is a Feasibility Study, which is the first-time investigators are examining the use of a Fitbit by thoracic surgery patients over the age of 65 years-old before surgery. The study is looking to see if patients can wear a wrist step-tracker and keep a log of their daily step counts for one week. The study is looking to see if people are willing to keep track of their daily steps, so in the future participants may be provided with step-goals to achieve and their steps prior to surgery can be accurately measured.

This research study involves using a Fitbit tracker to record daily steps over the course of 1 week prior to scheduled surgery. Participants will be given a step tracker in clinic and instructed on its use. During the 1 week period, participants will be called by a study team to check on progress.

After a week, participants will be asked to return the step-tracker and their log either at a scheduled pre-surgery clinic visit or in the pre-operative area which ever comes first.

It is expected that about 30 people will take part in this research study.

Enrollment: 30 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patients Aged ≥ 65 years

  • Who are preparing to undergo thoracic surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH)

Exclusion criteria

• Patients who are completely non-ambulatory (i.e. wheelchair-bound-patients) *

• Those who lack capacity to consent due to cognitive disease.

• Patient for which surgery is felt to be more urgent and therefore performed earlier then our required timeframe for intervention.

• Patients with cardiac disease or angina for which formal cardiac testing is required for clearance.

  • Our exclusion criteria do not include patients with gait disturbances or those who require assistance devices for ambulation.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Supportive Care

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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30 participants in 1 patient group

PRE-OPERATIVE EXERCISE TRACKING

Experimental group

Description:

Participant baseline information will be collected from their electronic medical records. After enrollment, participants will be provided a mobile device (Fitbit) to wear for tracking steps for 1 week prior to their scheduled surgery. Participants will keep a log of daily steps for the 1 week they are wearing the device and receive one progress check-in call during the week. The device and log will be turned in either on a pre-surgery clinic visit or on the day of surgery whichever comes first.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Fitbit