Letter to the editor referencing Effect of inspiratory muscle training associated or not to physical rehabilitation in preoperative anatomic pulmonary resection: a systemic review and meta-analysis

The recent systematic review and meta-analysis by de Oliveria Vacchi, Martha, and Macagnan (2022) on the effect of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) and its association with physical rehabilitation in preoperative anatomic pulmonary resection raises some interesting findings, and the authors should be congratulated for their work. However, additional factors should be considered in the context of this study. These include frailty, postoperative pulmonary complications, and the high correlation between lung cancer and chronic obstructive disease. This study is paramount considering the potential to improve patient suitability for curative surgery, the high risks associated with surgery and shifting demographics with an increased prevalence of comorbidities, alongside fiscal pressures. This study suggests the need for further high-quality research in this high-risk population, considering IMT alone or with physical rehabilitation, with methodologies that are reproducible.