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Optimising the Care and Treatment Pathways for Older Patients Facing Major Gastrointestinal Surgery.

NCT04545125 · Status: UNKNOWN · Type: OBSERVATIONAL · Enrollment: 120

Last updated 2021-01-07

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The UK population is ageing. Whilst many people remain active and in good health as they get older, getting older is associated with the onset of many common medical conditions, as well as memory and mobility problems. There is a natural decline in heart and lung fitness with age, although this may be slowed by regular exercise and physical activity. The majority of digestive system problems that require operations (such as bowel cancer) are more common in older people. These operations can reduce an older person's ability to look after themselves and their quality of life. In some cases there is a trade-off between major surgery and a smaller operation or procedure with a lower chance of cure, but a faster rate of recovery and fewer problems immediately after the procedure. (Examples of smaller operations include bringing the bowel out onto the abdominal wall; creating a 'stoma'. Examples of procedures include inserting a tube inside the bowel or oesophagus to open up a blockage; insertion of a 'stent'). Some patients may be advised or may choose not to undergo any form of treatment.

Deciding whether a person is fit enough to undergo a major operation is difficult and depends on patient factors (e.g. heart and lung fitness, other medical conditions, patient choice) and technical factors (location and spread of disease, availability of other options for treatment).

In the outpatient setting there are a number of tests that can be used to try to work out what the risks of a major operation will be for a particular person. These can then guide different approaches to try to lessen these risks. Examples include exercise programmes, dietary supplements and anxiety management programmes in the period before the operation. In the emergency setting there is often not sufficient time before their operation but there are still a number of ways of improving the chances of a good recovery, such as meeting with a physiotherapist and early planning for discharge needs.

This study aims to explore:

1. Whether patients who have poor outcomes after surgery can be identified at the start of their surgical journey
2. Whether there are specific patient characteristics that are associated with whether individual patients undergo major surgery or not.
3. What patients feel about different support measures that may be put in place to try to improve outcomes

Conditions

  • Old Age; Debility
  • Gastro-Intestinal Disorder

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • University of Sheffield

    collaborator OTHER

  • Sheffield Hallam University

    collaborator OTHER

  • Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Sarah Daniels · Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS FT

Eligibility

Min Age
65 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2020-08-18
Primary Completion
2021-09-01
Completion
2022-09-01

Countries

  • United Kingdom

Study Locations

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Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT04545125 on ClinicalTrials.gov