Postoperative day of surgery ambulation improves outcomes following lung resection: a multicenter prospective cohort study

Background: The impact of post-surgical same day ambulation in lung resection patients is relatively unstudied. We sought to determine the relationship between day of surgery ambulation and postoperative outcomes after lung resection.

Methods: This was a prospective cohort study at one healthcare system with six hospitals (1/2019-3/2023). Patients undergoing segmentectomy and lobectomy were targeted for inclusion. Patients who had missing ambulation data were excluded. Patients were divided into two cohorts based on whether or not they ambulated postoperatively on the day of surgery. Postoperative outcomes were compared using chi-square, Fisher's exact, or Mann-Whitney-U tests. Multivariable logistic regression controlling for pertinent perioperative confounders was performed to identify the independent effect of ambulation on complication rates.

Results: Of 1,056 patients included in the analytic cohort, 443 patients (42.0%) ambulated postoperatively on the day of surgery. Patients who ambulated day of surgery had significantly lower rates of morbidity, including respiratory complications, surgical site infection, bleeding, cardiac complications, cardiac arrhythmias, infectious complications, and opioid use, and had shorter length of stay, shorter chest tube duration, and lower total hospital cost. After risk-adjustment, patients who ambulated day of surgery had lower odds of overall morbidity, less opioid consumption, shorter length of stay, and shorter chest tube duration.

Conclusions: Patients who ambulated postoperatively on the day of surgery had better surgical recovery and outcomes after lung resection than those who did not. Day of surgery ambulation is an excellent quality metric and associated with avoidance of postoperative complications.