The number of elderly patients undergoing surgery is expected to increase in the coming years, due to the increase in life expectancy in the developing world. Compared to younger surgical patients, the older patients are at greater risk of mortality and morbidity after surgery.~Post-operative fatigue is an important complication after surgery. Not only is it reported by patients as one of the most distressing symptoms, it is also thought to be a significant contributor to delayed recovery after surgery. From a pathophysiological point of view, muscle weakness could be a major contributor to this post-operative fatigue.~Recent studies showed a profound reduction in muscle strength after surgery in elderly patients, which lasted for more than 3 months after surgery. This decrease in muscle strength might be induced by an excessive inflammatory response to surgery.~Glucocorticosteroids are capable of tampering an excessive inflammatory response to surgery and could improve the quality of recovery after surgery. However, a possible effect on post-operative muscle weakness hasn't been specifically investigated.~Therefore, the main objective of this prospective clinical trial is to evaluate the effect of corticosteroids on early post-operative outcome, focusing on muscle weakness, in elderly patients (≥60 years) undergoing surgery.
Major surgery induces a systemic inflammatory response, which can influence the post-operative morbidity, such as coagulation disorders and post-operative muscle weakness, hampering early recovery after surgery.~Single administration of high dose corticosteroids is known to reduce this inflammatory response and could possibly improve the post-operative outcome.~The CORTERAS study will evaluate the effect of administration of corticosteroids, as compared to no corticosteroids, on postoperative muscle weakness and quality of recovery after surgery in elderly patients.