January 31, 2025

IARS Trustee and 2016 IMRA Recipient Daniel I. McIsaac, MD, MPH, FRCPC

A prehabilitation randomized clinical trial, led by IARS Trustee and 2016 IMRA Recipient Daniel I. McIsaac, MD, MPH, FRCPC, has gained a spotlight in CBC News. The article follows the journey of one study participant, highlighting the study’s discovery that older patients with frailty who undertook prehabilitation prior to surgery led to more promising patient outcomes. A professor in the Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine and the School of Epidemiology & Public Health, and the Chair in Innovative Perioperative Care at University of Ottawa, Dr. McIsaac and his co-authors at Ottawa Hospital Research Institute followed 15,000 patients receiving planned surgeries. This prehabilitation, or prehab study, integrated exercise, enhanced nutrition, psychological support and cognitive training with the intention of helping patients recover more quickly. Data from these patients showed a reduction in complications by 40-50 percent and length of hospital stay postsurgery.

“Having surgery is stressful on your body, like going for a jog,” Dr. McIsaac told CBC News. “If we’re going to go out there and put someone’s body under stress, then we should be providing them the tools to train and get ready.”

Dr. McIsaac will be presenting more details on the results and future developments for this clinical trial during the International Clinical Trials Pre-Conference on March 20 at the start of the 2025 Annual Meeting, presented by IARS and SOCCA, in Honolulu, Hawaii. Add this special program to your registration to discover how this important clinical trial is advancing the specialty of anesthesiology and patient care!

Read the article.