Usefulness of wearable fitness tracking devices in patients undergoing esophagectomy

BACKGROUND: Esophageal cancer surgery requires maintenance and enhancement of perioperative nutritional status and physical function to prevent postoperative complications. Therefore, awareness of the importance of preoperative patient support is increasing. This study examined the usefulness of using a diary in combination with a wearable fitness tracking device (WFT) in patients undergoing surgery for esophageal cancer. METHODS: Ninety-four patients who underwent esophagectomy between February 2019 and April 2021 were included. Physicians, nurses, dietitians, and physical therapists provided diary-based education for the patients. In addition, a WFT was used by some patients. The perioperative outcomes of patients who used both the diary and WFT (WFT group) and those who used the diary alone (non-WFT group) were compared. In addition, propensity score matching was performed to improve comparability between the two groups. RESULTS: After the propensity score matching, the rate of postoperative pneumonia was significantly lower in the WFT group (0% vs. 22.6%, P = 0.005). The postoperative hospital stay was shorter in the WFT group (P = 0.012). Nutritional status indices, such as the prognostic nutritional index, also improved significantly in the WFT group at 1 month after surgery (P = 0.034). The rate of diary entries was significantly higher in the WFT group (72.3% vs. 28.3%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The use of a WFT reduced the incidence of postoperative pneumonia and improved postoperative nutritional status and rates of diary entries after esophagectomy, suggesting that its use may be useful for promoting recovery after esophagectomy. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10388-021-00893-3.