Perioperative Exercise Testing & Training Society (POETTS)

ABOUT POETTS

POETTS was established in 2016  to promote standardised practice through consensus guidelines and standardised education and training and to conduct and disseminate audit, quality improvement and research in the field of perioperative exercise testing and training.  With the advent of multimodal prehabilitation (optimising metabolic and psychological fitness alongside physical fitness), the remit of POETTS has expanded to include physical, nutritional and psychological optimisation prior to surgery or other treatments such as chemotherapy for cancer.

POETTS EDUCATION

POETTS has developed standardised training for perioperative cardiopulmonary exercise testing (POETTS) including an accreditation process which involves a period of supervised practice and reporting under the mentoring of a POETTS accredited physician. We deliver a standardised course twice a year in London, which we aim to deliver online this Autumn.  We run a one day conference annually as part of the Evidence Based Perioperative Medicine conference

POETTS GUIDELINES

POETTS have published consensus clinical practice guidelines for the performance of perioperative cardiopulmonary exercise testing which include staffing, indications, contraindications and physiological interpretation (Levett et al, BJA 2018).  We have also provided guidance for the use of CPET during the COVID-19 pandemic.  These can be accessed by the website.  We are currently producing physical activity/exercise advice for patients self isolating prior to elective surgery.

POETTS COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH

POETTS has been recognised as an academic society by the National Institute of Academic Anaesthesia at the Royal College of Anaesthetists.  We have supported multicentre collaborative research projects in aneurysm surgery (Carlisle Anaesth 2015); colorectal surgery (West BJS 2016), oesphagectomy (in progress), validation of interpretation (Abbot BJA 2018); gender differences in normal values (Thomas Periop Med, 2020) and surveys of practice (Reeves Periop Med 2020) and practice during Covid 19 (Mclelland (in progress)).  Our planned projects for 2020 include:  Validation of the Duke Activity Survey for the estimation of VO2peak (lead: Prof Denny Levett, Southampton); prospective evaluation of the Carlisle aneurysm mortality model (Lead: John Carlisle, Torquay).  We are working to establish a database at the Royal College of Anaesthetists for prospective data collection of perioperative exercise testing and prehabilitation data.  If you would like to contribute to any of these projects, please get in touch.

Get in touch

You can join POETTS, find details of POETTS courses and accreditation on our website and POETTS accredited clinicians and mentors via the website.