Pulmonary Rehabilitation Accelerates the Recovery of Pulmonary Function in Patients With COVID-19

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate the effect of in-hospital pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) on short-term pulmonary functional recovery in patients with COVID-19.Methods: Patients with COVID-19 (n = 123) were divided into two groups (PR group or Control group) according to recipient of pulmonary rehabilitation. Six-min walk distance (6MW), heart rate (HR), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO), and CT scanning were measured at the time of discharge, 1, 4, 12, and 24 weeks.Results: At week one, both PR group and Control group showed no significant changes in pulmonary function. At 4 and 12 weeks, 6MW, HR, FVC, FEV1, and DLCO improved significantly in both groups. However, the improvement in the PR group was greater than the Control group. Pulmonary function in the PR group returned to normal at 4 weeks [FVC (% predicted, PR vs. Control): 86.27 ± 9.14 vs. 78.87 ± 7.55; FEV1 (% predicted, PR vs. Control) 88.76 ± 6.22 vs. 78.96 ± 6.91; DLCO (% predicted, PR vs. Control): 87.27 ± 6.20 vs. 77.78 ± 5.85] compared to 12 weeks in the control group [FVC (% predicted, PR vs. Control): 90.61 ± 6.05 vs. 89.96 ± 4.05; FEV1 (% predicted, PR vs. Control) 94.06 ± 0.43 vs. 93.85 ± 5.61; DLCO (% predicted, PR vs. Control): 91.99 ± 8.73 vs. 88.57 ± 5.37]. Residual lesions on CT disappeared at week 4 in 49 patients in PR group and in 28 patients in control group (p = 0.0004).Conclusion: Pulmonary rehabilitation could accelerate the recovery of pulmonary function in patients with COVID-19.

The functional consequences in severe and critical covid-19 survivors – A pilot study

“…The exercise capacity and ventilatory inefficiency were significantly lower in majority of examined patients after five months. In accordance with our and similars studies it is clear that early respiratory rehabilitation of patients can effect on better recovery of lung function [36] …”

Effectiveness of respiratory rehabilitation in patients with COVID‐19: A meta‐analysis

“…Then, 4556 articles were eliminated based on the title and abstract for the following reasons: non‐research article (47 articles), meta‐analysis or systematic review (510), irrelevant topic (2176), irrelevant population (882), irrelevant study design and qualitative study (731), and study protocol (270). Finally, 12 articles were qualified and included in the study's final analysis based on the full‐text screening (Abodonya et al, 2021; Ahmed et al, 2021; Al Chikhanie et al, 2021; Bouteleux et al, 2021; Everaerts et al, 2021; Gloeckl et al, 2021; Hayden et al, 2021; Li et al, 2021; Liu et al, 2020; Nopp et al, 2022; Spielmanns et al, 2021; Zhu et al, 2021).…”

Effect of Pulmonary Rehabilitation Approaches on Dyspnea, Exercise Capacity, Fatigue, Lung Functions, and Quality of Life in Patients With COVID-19: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

“…Although PR varied in detail, six trials used respiratory muscle exercise with or without endurance training 18, 29-31, 33, 34 . Two studies 18,31 used device-based threshold positive expiratory pressure, and four studies 29,30,33,36 used airway cleaning exercises to improve mucus clearance.…”