A randomized controlled study on the effects of the T-REX Twente (Thoracic Surgical Rehabilitation Experts Twente) sternal precautions on quality of life and physical activity levels in cardiac surgery patients, compared to standard care in patients following a median sternotomy: the study protocol
N Wielens, K Roerdink, W Lynch, L Esau, J van der Palen, F R Halfwerk · 2026
Read A randomized controlled study on the effects of the T-REX Twente (Thoracic Surgical Rehabilitation Experts Twente) sternal precautions on quality of life and physical activity levels in cardiac surgery patients, compared to standard care in patients following a median sternotomy: the study protocol by N Wielens, K Roerdink, W Lynch, L Esau, J van der Palen, F R Halfwerk (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13573408.txt.
Description
N Wielens, with five colleagues, sets out a 2026 protocol for a trial of looser movement rules after open-heart surgery. Most such surgery at the Twente centre opens the breastbone, and patients then face strict limits on lifting and pushing. North American work hints those limits may be harsher than needed, at a cost to mood and mobility.
The trial assigns patients at random to standard strict rules or to the T-REX rules, which let patients lift and push as long as arms stay inside a set tube zone. The main outcome is change on a quality-of-life scale before rehabilitation starts. Activity levels and fear of movement are also tracked. Pain, wound healing, and complications are watched to prove no harm. The study runs at one Dutch centre through mid 2026.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | N Wielens, K Roerdink, W Lynch, L Esau, J van der Palen, F R Halfwerk |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 53606 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |