Chen J, Zhang AQ. Impact of multimodal rehabilitation on physical function in post-intensive care syndrome patients after gastrointestinal tumor surgery. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2026; 18(4): 116420 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i4.116420]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ai-Qin Zhang, Professor, Critical Care Unit, Jinling Clinical Medical College Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University (PLA Eastern Theater Command General Hospital), No. 305 Zhongshan East Road, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu Province, China. aq09z@126.com
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Gastroenterology & Hepatology
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Retrospective Study
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Apr 15, 2026 (publication date) through Apr 11, 2026
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Publication Name
World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology
ISSN
1948-5204
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Chen J, Zhang AQ. Impact of multimodal rehabilitation on physical function in post-intensive care syndrome patients after gastrointestinal tumor surgery. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2026; 18(4): 116420 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i4.116420]
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Apr 15, 2026; 18(4): 116420 Published online Apr 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i4.116420
Impact of multimodal rehabilitation on physical function in post-intensive care syndrome patients after gastrointestinal tumor surgery
Jing Chen, Ai-Qin Zhang
Jing Chen, Critical Care Unit, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu Province, China
Ai-Qin Zhang, Critical Care Unit, Jinling Clinical Medical College Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University (PLA Eastern Theater Command General Hospital), Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu Province, China
Author contributions: Chen J contributed to research conception and design, data collection, data analysis, and initial paper writing; Zhang AQ contributed to research funding acquisition, project management and supervision, and paper review and critical revision. Both authors approved the final version to publish.
Institutional review board statement: This study was reviewed and approved by Ethics Committee of the Second People’s Hospital of Changzhou (Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University), No.[2025]KY344-01.
Informed consent statement: Informed consent was waived by the Ethics Committee as the study utilized historical anonymized data.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The raw and processed data supporting the conclusions of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Corresponding author: Ai-Qin Zhang, Professor, Critical Care Unit, Jinling Clinical Medical College Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University (PLA Eastern Theater Command General Hospital), No. 305 Zhongshan East Road, Xuanwu District, Nanjing 210000, Jiangsu Province, China. aq09z@126.com
Received: November 18, 2025 Revised: December 17, 2025 Accepted: January 23, 2026 Published online: April 15, 2026 Processing time: 140 Days and 22.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Post-intensive care syndrome (PICS) is a frequent complication following major gastrointestinal tumor surgery, characterized by persistent physical impairment associated with systemic inflammation, muscle catabolism, and neuromuscular dysfunction.
AIM
To investigate the impact of multimodal rehabilitation nursing (MRN) on physical functional recovery in post-operative gastrointestinal tumor patients with PICS, using mechanism-related outcome indicators.
METHODS
This retrospective study enrolled 80 patients with PICS after gastrointestinal tumor surgery between August 2022 and August 2024. Patients who received an 8-week MRN program were compared with those receiving conventional care. Physical performance, inflammatory status, nutritional parameters, and neuromuscular function were evaluated at predefined time points.
RESULTS
Compared with conventional care, MRN was associated with significant improvements in handgrip strength, phase angle, and compound muscle action potential amplitude/area ratio, along with substantial reductions in interleukin-6 levels, timed up and go time, and time to functional recovery (all P < 0.05).
CONCLUSION
MRN significantly improves physical recovery in post-operative PICS patients by modulating inflammation, muscle metabolism, and neuromuscular function, supporting its use as a mechanism-based rehabilitation strategy in clinical practice.
Core Tip: This retrospective analysis shows that early initiation of an 8-week multimodal rehabilitation nursing program significantly improves physical functional recovery in patients with gastrointestinal tumors and post-intensive care syndrome. Beyond enhancing handgrip strength, nutritional status, and mobility, multimodal rehabilitation nursing favorably influenced key pathophysiological processes by reducing systemic inflammation, as reflected by lower interleukin-6 levels, attenuating muscle catabolism through myostatin modulation, and improving neuromuscular electrophysiological function, as evidenced by increased compound muscle action potential amplitude/area ratios. These results support the incorporation of mechanism-based, multidisciplinary nursing interventions into routine post-operative care to improve long-term patient outcomes.
