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TRAINING FOR SURGERY
Surgery is tough on the body. Even minor procedures
carry the risk of complications such as shock or in-
fection. Besides choosing an experienced surgeon,
recent research suggests that training for surgery may
be the best way to avoid these issues and recover
faster. “You wouldn’t run a race without preparing,”
says Michael Englesbe, MD, a transplant surgeon
who started a preoperative programme at the Univer-
sity of Michigan, USA. “An operation is as physiologi-
cally hard” as running 5 kms, he explains. The
programme, which includes about an hour a day of
walking, helped reduce the length of hospital
stays by 31 per cent. Similar programmes
add other therapies. Together, they offer
tips for starting your own regimen two
to six weeks before surgery:1
Read up on your procedure to
help mentally prepare for what
recovery will be like.2
Learn relaxation techniques
such as prayer or meditation
to cope with any pain, stress or de-
pression you might have.3
Breathe in through your nose
deeply, hold for five to ten sec-
onds, then let your breath out slowly
through your mouth. Do this several
times a day to prevent respiratory
issues such as a partial lung collapse.
If you smoke, quit before surgery,
even if it’s only for a few weeks.4
If you’re not exercising daily, walk
at least a few minutes every day.5
Being dehydrated or malnou-
rished increases the chance of
delirium. Drink plenty of water and
eat nutritiously.TB Vaccine Trial
Tuberculosis, a
highly communicable
disease, kills more
than 3,00,000 people
every year, according
to the government’s
Central Tuberculosis
Division. The depart-
ment also states that
a single patient can
infect as many as
10 people.
Recognizing this,
the Indian Council
of Medical Research
(ICMR) has launched
two variants of a vac-
cine, on a trial basis,
to check the effective-
ness of them on those
who come in close
contact with the pa-
tients. The study, to
be spread over seve-
ral months, will be
conducted on around
12,000 healthy indivi-
duals who are at high
risk of contracting the
disease. If the trials
are successful, we
could see the vaccine
being approved for
use on a larger scale
for prevention.—WITH INPUTS FROM
V. KUMARA SWAMY