Effects of Preoperative Mindfulness Training Combined With Active Breathing and Circulation Exercises on Pulmonary Function Recovery in Lung Cancer Patients After Lobectomy.

[AIM] Diminished pulmonary function and psychological distress, which are common following lobectomy in lung cancer patients, represent a hindrance to the overall recovery. This study aimed to retrospectively explore the effects of preoperative mindfulness training combined with active breathing and circulation exercises on postoperative pulmonary function recovery in lung cancer patients undergoing lobectomy.

[METHODS] A retrospective study was conducted on 160 patients who underwent lobectomy at Shaoxing People's Hospital. The samples were divided into two groups based on the type of nursing care received: the control group received standard care, whilst the experimental group received preoperative mindfulness training combined with active breathing and circulation exercises. Evaluation indicators included anxiety and depression levels, physiological parameters (peripheral capillary oxygen saturation [SpO], forced vital capacity [FVC], forced expiratory volume in one second [FEV], maximum voluntary ventilation [MVV], forced expiratory volume in one second, percent of predicted [FEV%pred], forced vital capacity, percent of predicted [FVC%pred], FEV/FVC, arterial oxygen pressure [PaO], and arterial carbon dioxide pressure [PaCO]), exercise tolerance, medication adherence and health-related quality of life (HRQoL).

[RESULTS] The depression score (2.00 [1.00, 3.00]) and anxiety score (2.00 [1.00, 4.00]) in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group ( < 0.001). Compared with the control group, several physiological indicators showed significant improvement in lung function in the experimental group ( < 0.05), and the Borg scale score (1.00 [0.00, 2.00]) was significantly lower in the experimental group than in the control group ( < 0.001). Regarding exercise tolerance, the post-intervention six-minute walk distance (6MWD) was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group (382.10 ± 68.17 vs. 356.24 ± 87.46, < 0.05). In the experimental group, the proportions of patients with poor, moderate, and good medication adherence after surgery were 5.95%, 26.19%, and 67.86%, respectively. In contrast, the corresponding proportions in the control group were 7.89%, 47.37%, and 44.74%. Medication adherence was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group ( < 0.05). Regarding quality of life, the experimental group showed significantly higher scores in the five functional dimensions and the overall healthy quality of life dimension compared to the control group ( < 0.05).

[CONCLUSIONS] Preoperative mindfulness training combined with active breathing and circulation exercises significantly improves the postoperative psychological well-being of patients undergoing lobectomy, enhances medication adherence and lung function recovery, and ultimately improves overall health-related quality of life.