Fissios© and Postoperative Complications (FPoC Trial)

Overview

Respiratory physiotherapy as part of a pre-operative physical training program may reduce the risk of developing post-operative complications, improving post-operative results and optimizing physical conditions in patients with a diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) undergoing lung resection surgery. During the post-operative period, performing physical exercise has also been proved to increase the capacity for exercise, improve health-related quality of life and reduce the feeling of breathlessness. Fissios App is a tool created by thoracic surgeons, physiotherapists and a specialist doctor in physical medicine and rehabilitation, which has been satisfactorily implemented in thoracic surgery patients; this contains a program of standardized respiratory physiotherapy exercises with a defined time and number of repetitions. The aim is to compare the effectiveness of use of the Fissios App tool as a complement to a peri-operative respiratory physiotherapy program compared to just attendance at a face-to-face peri-operative respiratory physiotherapy program, to reduce the incidence of post-operative complications. It is expected to include 560 patients in the study. Subsequent to evaluation by the investigator and the acceptance of participant to take part in the study, the performing of peri-operative respiratory physiotherapy is prescribed. The participants will be randomly assigned to a study group that uses the tool as a complement to the respiratory physiotherapy program or a control group that should only attend face-to-face respiratory physiotherapy sessions. All the participants should attend face-to-face respiratory physiotherapy classes taught by physiotherapists at the place and time set out in each centre before and after surgery for at least 45 minutes and at least five sessions. Moreover, study group participants may use the Fissios App tool. Investigators should fill in the pre-operative, surgery and post-operative data for each patient on the Fissios Research platform.

The FPoC Trial is designed as a multicentre, prospective, randomised, prospective, parallel, two-group, controlled, open-label, superiority study of only face-to-face respiratory physiotherapy or the use of Fissios App© as an adjunct to respiratory physiotherapy in patients scheduled for lung resection surgery. The participants who take part in the study will be randomly assigned to the study or control group before the surgical procedure. All of them will follow an in-person respiratory physiotherapy programme, and the study group will complement this programme with the use of the Fissios App tool. Perioperative care will be carried out in accordance with national and international guidelines. Postoperative complications will be recorded following the established definitions of the European Society of Thoracic Surgeons (ESTS) database and in the study protocol. Finally, all the participants will be followed up for 90 days after the date of surgery to finalise the present study. The participants will continue the revisions following the protocols of each centre. An estimated total of 560 particpants (280 per group) will be recruited for this study.