Walk before surgery, and the fog afterwards is half as likely

The confusion that clouds some patients' minds after an operation — postoperative delirium — affects about one in five surgical patients, especially older adults, and can stretch a hospital stay by days. Researchers Melody Haratian, of the University of South Florida, and Jeffrey Huang, of Moffitt Cancer Center, studied 258 people having cancer surgery in 2024–2025 and found something refreshingly low-tech: patients who, before surgery, walked and did moderate or vigorous activity at least seven times a week had a 50% lower risk of delirium than less active patients. The work, presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY 2026 meeting, points to 'prehabilitation' — building strength before the operation — as protection families can actually act on. Ask your surgical team what a safe pre-surgery activity plan looks like.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being