Postoperative complications after surgical procedures, including following total knee arthroplasty (TKA), have a negative impact on the health and well-being of surgical patients. Older adults (≥65 years) are particularly vulnerable to postoperative complications and their associated morbidities due to the biological aging process. Older adults comprise nearly half of surgical patients worldwide, and this number is expected to increase in the next 10-20 years as the aging population continues to grow. TKA is the most common procedure undergone by older adults, and the rate of TKA procedures is also expected to rise. Despite perioperative guidelines and protocols to prevent postoperative complications, the prevalence of postoperative complications following TKA is approximately 12%. Given these statistics, millions of older adults undergoing TKA may be at risk for postoperative complications and their associated morbidities in the coming decades. Therefore, additional interventions are needed to combat postoperative complications in this population. The body's natural response to surgery, also known as the surgical stress response (SSR), contributes to postoperative complications through complex mechanisms involving the autonomic nervous system (ANS). Increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, or the body's fight-or-flight response, causes dysregulation in feedback systems that regulate the stress response, potentially leading to poorer outcomes. Interventions, such as breathwork, that induce the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), or the body's rest-and-digest response, have been shown to balance the ANS, regulate stress biology, and improve outcomes. This study will examine the feasibility of adding a breathwork intervention (Box Breathing), compared to an attention control, to standard perioperative care for older adults undergoing TKA. This study will also examine the proof of concept that Box Breathing, compared to an attention control, may help regulate the SSR by assessing an objective measure of stress-related biology, diurnal cortisol rhythm, and gathering self-report information on pain, anxiety, depression, and quality of recovery following TKA.
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Study Feasibility via Recruitment
Timeframe: Through study completion, an average of 4.5 months
Study Feasibility via Retention
Timeframe: Through study completion, an average of 4.5 months
Study Feasibility via Receipt of Saliva Samples
Timeframe: Through study completion, an average of 4.5 months
Study Feasibility via Postoperative Morbidity Survey Completion
Timeframe: Through study completion, an average of 4.5 months
Box Breathing Intervention Feasibility via Box Breathing Completion Survey
Timeframe: Through study completion, an average of 4.5 months
Box Breathing Intervention Feasibility via Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM)
Timeframe: Measured one time on the evening of Postoperative Day 3
Box Breathing Intervention Acceptability via Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM)
Timeframe: Measured one time on the evening of Postoperative Day 3
Devon E Cobos Garcia, PhD Candidate, MS, BSN
Box Breathing Intervention Appropriateness via Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM)
Timeframe: Measured one time on the evening of Postoperative Day 3
TriPeaks Video Attention Control Task Feasibility via Attention Control Task Completion Survey
Timeframe: Through study completion, an average of 4.5 months
TriPeaks Video Attention Control Task Feasibility via Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM)
Timeframe: Measured one time on the evening of Postoperative Day 3
TriPeaks Video Attention Control Task Acceptability via Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM)
Timeframe: Measured one time on the evening of Postoperative Day 3
TriPeaks Video Attention Control Task Appropriateness via Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM)
Timeframe: Measured one time on the evening of Postoperative Day 3