Géraldine Zamansky, journalist for the Magazine de la Santé on France 5 today talks about the research of European researchers, a team from the Nord hospital in Marseille, to help patients recover faster after surgery.
franceinfo: A Marseille team offered for the first time in Europe to patients to take a few steps just after a major operation on their lung?
Geraldine Zamansky: Yes, it was a team from the Hôpital Nord in Marseille that changed the atmosphere in the recovery room, on leaving the operating room for this first European study. Pr Laurent Zieleskiewicz, anesthesiologist-resuscitator, told me about this small revolution carried out under high medical supervision. Because the patients concerned had just had part of their lung surgically removed.
The patients had been wide awake for one to three hours when they were offered to sit down and drink apple juice, after fasting for hours for the procedure. Then, they had a little course to dare to cough, and to breathe well. Because the main risk in the hours and days following this type of operation is that the lung withdraws into itself and becomes infected. It must therefore be stimulated. To achieve this, once the tension was controlled, the patient could try to stand for 3 minutes. And then to walk in service. To convince those who were worried, Professor Zieleskiewicz explained to them that this was the key to better post-operative recovery.
And then, is it true? Have the walkers recovered better?
Absolutely. The improvement was even seen for those who were only able to take the lung rehabilitation course. Overall, the 243 beneficiaries of this early rehabilitation, according to the medical term, had half as many complications as in a normal protocol. And almost 5 times less for walkers. By thus reducing pneumonia and lung retractions, they also divided by 6 the need for respiratory assistance.
Even before having the statistical results, the team saw the metamorphosis of the patients in a few steps. Often doubled over at first, afraid of pulling on the bandage and having pain, they straightened up and sometimes went to their hospital room. It is of course thanks to the progress of surgeons who reduce the sequelae. And thanks to the anesthesiologists whose new products make it easier to wake up. They sometimes also leave a kind of local infusion of painkiller on the level of the scars for example.
As a result, patients are much better and come out of the hospital faster. And we know that in the hospital, time is money. The savings made could make it possible to recruit a physiotherapist in the recovery room. For the study, everyone had agreed to contribute in addition to their normal service. So hats off to the healthcare teams for their impressive commitment in an often difficult hospital environment.