New York—All of that huffing and puffing on the treadmill may be worthwhile to the patient awaiting surgery: A new retrospective study suggests that exercise programs aimed at increasing exercise tolerance before a surgical procedure may decrease morbidity and mortality.
“We’ve long known that physical fitness is a factor that appears to affect a patient’s chances for perioperative success,” explained Ruchir Gupta, MD, anesthesiology professor at Stony Brook