Objective To investigate whether an early rehabilitation intervention initiated during acute admission for exacerbations of chronic respiratory disease reduces the risk of readmission over 12 months and ameliorates the negative effects of the episode on physical performance and health status.

http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN05557928.

Rationale: Hospitalization represents a major event for the patient with chronic respiratory disease. There is a high risk of readmission, which over the longer term may be related more closely to the underlying condition of the patient, such as skeletal muscle dysfunction. Objectives:We assessed the risk of hospital readmission at 1 year, including measures of lower limb muscle as part of a larger clinical trial. Conclusions: Smaller quadriceps muscle size, as measured by ultrasound in the acute care setting, is an independent risk factor for unscheduled readmission or death, which may have value both in clinical practice and for risk stratification.

NMES is a feasible intervention to improve muscle strength in a cohort of patients admitted with an exacerbation of COPD. The response appears to be independent of the frequency used and both were well-tolerated.

The endurance shuttle walk test (ESWT) is frequently used as an outcome measure for pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). The minimal important difference (MID) for the ESWT after a course of rehabilitation has not been conclusively confirmed in the literature. The aim was to establish the MID for the ESWT following the 6-week PR programme in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Following the completion of the 6-week PR programme, data from 531 participants were included in the analysis to estimate the MID for the ESWT using both anchor-based and distribution-based methods. Mean age (standard deviation (SD)) was 69.4 (9.1) years, 303 male, FEV1/FVC 0.51 (0.16). The baseline incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT) was 217.7 (SD 139.8) metres and ESWT 195.8 (SD 118.8) seconds, which increased to 279.6 (SD 149.5) metres and 537.4 (SD 378.3) seconds, respectively, following PR. The mean change was 61.8 (95% confidence interval (CI) 56.0–67.5) metres for the ISWT and 342.0 (95% CI 312.4–371.6) seconds for the ESWT. The distribution method (0.5 × SD) yielded an MID of 173.7 seconds, the global rating of change scale method yielded a value of 279.2 (95% CI 244.9–313.5) seconds for those rating themselves as ‘slightly improved’ and the ROC method 207 seconds. There was no agreement between the approaches employed. However, we propose that the MID for the ESWT in COPD following a 6-week PR programme is between 174 and 279 seconds.

Background and objective: Establishing the amount of inpatient physical activity (PA) undertaken by individuals hospitalized for chronic respiratory disease is needed to inform interventions. This observational study investigated whether PA changes when a person is an inpatient, how long is required to obtain representative PA measures and whether PA varies within a day and between patients of differing lengths of stay. Methods: A total of 389 participants were recruited as early as possible into their hospitalization. Patients wore a PA monitor from recruitment until discharge.Step count was extracted for a range of wear time criteria. Single-day intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated, with an ICC ≥ 0.80 deemed acceptable. Results: PA data were available for 259 participants. No changes in daily step count were observed during the inpatient stay (586 (95% CI: 427-744) vs 652 (95% CI: 493-812) steps/day for day 2 and 7, respectively). ICC across all wear time criteria were > 0.80. The most stringent wear time criterion, retaining 80% of the sample, was ≥11 h on ≥1 day. More steps were taken during the morning and afternoon than overnight and evening. After controlling for the Medical Research Council (MRC) grade or oxygen use, there was no difference in step count between patients admitted for 2-3 days (short stay) and those admitted for 7-14 days (long stay). Conclusion: Patients move little during their hospitalization, and inpatient PA did not increase during their stay. A wear time criterion of 11 waking hours on any single day was representative of the entire admission whilst retaining an acceptable proportion of the initial sample size. Patients may need encouragement to move more during their hospital stay.Objectively measured inpatient physical activity (PA) was examined for 259 individuals hospitalized due to an acute exacerbation of chronic respiratory disease. PA did not recover as an inpatient, with patients averaging 616 AE 649 steps/day. A single day of PA monitoring provided data representative of the entire inpatient stay.

IntroductionNational guidance for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) suggests that self-management support be provided for patients. Our institution has developed a standardised, manual-based, supported self-management programme: Self-Management Programme of Activity Coping and Education (SPACE for COPD(C)). SPACE was previously piloted on a 1-2-1 basis, delivered by researchers, to individuals with COPD. Discussions with stakeholders highlighted considerable interest in delivering the SPACE for COPD(C) intervention as a group-based self-management programme facilitated by healthcare professionals (HCPs) in primary care settings. The study aims are to explore the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy for the intervention to be delivered and supported by HCPs and to examine whether group-based delivery of SPACE for COPD(C), with sustained support, improves patient outcomes following the SPACE for COPD(C) intervention.Methods and analysisA prospective, multi-site, single-blinded randomised controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted, with follow-up at 6 and 9 months. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the control group (usual care) or intervention group (a six-session, group-based SPACE for COPD(C)self-management programme delivered over 5 months). The primary outcome is change in COPD assessment test at 6 months.A discussion session will be conducted with HCPs who deliver the intervention to discuss and gain insight into any potential facilitators/barriers to implementing the intervention in practice. Furthermore, we will conduct semi-structured focus groups with intervention participants to understand feasibility and acceptability. All qualitative data will be analysed thematically.Ethics and disseminationThe project has received a favourable opinion from South Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee, REC reference: 14/SC/1169 and full R&D approval from the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust: 152408.Study results will be disseminated through appropriate peer-reviewed journals, national and international respiratory/physiotherapy conferences, via the Collaboration and Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care and through social media.Trial registrationISRCTN17942821; pre-results.

Acute admission to hospital for an exacerbation of chronic respiratory disease (CRD) may impair skeletal muscle mass and function. We measured quadriceps thickness (Qthick), as a surrogate marker of muscle mass, at hospital admission, discharge, 6 weeks and 3 months in 55 patients with CRD. Qthick fell by 8.3% during the period of hospitalisation, which was sustained at 6 weeks, and only partially recovered at 3 months. Sustained loss was most marked in patients readmitted during the follow-up period. Acute reduction in quadriceps muscle mass occurs during hospitalisation, with prolonged and variable recovery, which is prevented with subsequent hospital readmission.