The Impact of Comprehensive Rehabilitation on the Exercise Capacity of Patients After COVID-19

Overview

Journal Adv Respir Med

Publisher MDPI

Specialties Allergy & Immunology
Pulmonary Medicine

Date 2023 Nov 21

PMID 37987299

Authors

Alicja Minko

Agnieszka Turon-Skrzypinska

Aleksandra Ryl

Iwona Rotter

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a complex disease that affects multiple body systems, including the respiratory, cardiovascular, neurological, and muscular systems. It is estimated that approximately half of the patients after the treatment for COVID-19 experience persistent symptoms that lead to a decreased physical capacity. Scientific recommendations suggest that cardiovascular and respiratory rehabilitation programs should be implemented in patients who have completed treatment for COVID-19. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of comprehensive rehabilitation on the exercise capacity of patients after COVID-19 treatment. The study included 146 patients after the treatment for COVID-19 who were eligible for therapeutic rehabilitation. The exercise capacity was assessed using the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). The results showed that patients who underwent rehabilitation had an average increase of 23.83% in their 6MWT score compared to the baseline. A comprehensive rehabilitation program including breathing exercises, aerobic training, and strength and endurance exercises is an effective intervention that can improve the physical capacity of patients after COVID-19 treatment.

References

Holland A, Spruit M, Troosters T, Puhan M, Pepin V, Saey D . An official European Respiratory Society/American Thoracic Society technical standard: field walking tests in chronic respiratory disease. Eur Respir J. 2014; 44(6):1428-46. DOI: 10.1183/09031936.00150314. View

Singh I, Joseph P, Heerdt P, Cullinan M, Lutchmansingh D, Gulati M . Persistent Exertional Intolerance After COVID-19: Insights From Invasive Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing. Chest. 2021; 161(1):54-63. PMC: 8354807. DOI: 10.1016/j.chest.2021.08.010. View

Curci C, Negrini F, Ferrillo M, Bergonzi R, Bonacci E, Camozzi D . Functional outcome after inpatient rehabilitation in postintensive care unit COVID-19 patients: findings and clinical implications from a real-practice retrospective study. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med. 2021; 57(3):443-450. DOI: 10.23736/S1973-9087.20.06660-5. View

Chams N, Chams S, Badran R, Shams A, Araji A, Raad M . COVID-19: A Multidisciplinary Review. Front Public Health. 2020; 8:383. PMC: 7403483. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00383. View

Hermann M, Pekacka-Egli A, Witassek F, Baumgaertner R, Schoendorf S, Spielmanns M . Feasibility and Efficacy of Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation After COVID-19. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2020; 99(10):865-869. PMC: 7406212. DOI: 10.1097/PHM.0000000000001549. View

Iqbal A, Iqbal K, Arshad Ali S, Azim D, Farid E, Baig M . The COVID-19 Sequelae: A Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Post-recovery Symptoms and the Need for Rehabilitation of COVID-19 Survivors. Cureus. 2021; 13(2):e13080. PMC: 7932827. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.13080. View

Sun T, Guo L, Tian F, Dai T, Xing X, Zhao J . Rehabilitation of patients with COVID-19. Expert Rev Respir Med. 2020; 14(12):1249-1256. DOI: 10.1080/17476348.2020.1811687. View

Sharma P, Behl T, Sharma N, Singh S, Singh Grewal A, Albarrati A . COVID-19 and diabetes: Association intensify risk factors for morbidity and mortality. Biomed Pharmacother. 2022; 151:113089. PMC: 9080053. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2022.113089. View

Sheehy L . Considerations for Postacute Rehabilitation for Survivors of COVID-19. JMIR Public Health Surveill. 2020; 6(2):e19462. PMC: 7212817. DOI: 10.2196/19462. View

10.

Carvalho A, Moreira J, Cubelo P, Cantista P, Aguiar Branco C, Guimaraes B . Multidisciplinary rehabilitation in intensive care for COVID-19: randomised controlled trial. ERJ Open Res. 2023; 9(1). PMC: 9571162. DOI: 10.1183/23120541.00350-2022. View

11.

Busching G, Zhang Z, Schmid J, Sigrist T, Khatami R . Effectiveness of Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Severe and Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: A Controlled Study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021; 18(17). PMC: 8430691. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18178956. View

12.

Rooney S, Webster A, Paul L . Systematic Review of Changes and Recovery in Physical Function and Fitness After Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Related Coronavirus Infection: Implications for COVID-19 Rehabilitation. Phys Ther. 2020; 100(10):1717-1729. PMC: 7454932. DOI: 10.1093/ptj/pzaa129. View

13.

Rutkowski S, Bogacz K, Rutkowska A, Szczegielniak J, Casaburi R . Inpatient post-COVID-19 rehabilitation program featuring virtual reality-Preliminary results of randomized controlled trial. Front Public Health. 2023; 11:1121554. PMC: 9939639. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1121554. View

14.

Klok F, Boon G, Barco S, Endres M, Geelhoed J, Knauss S . The Post-COVID-19 Functional Status scale: a tool to measure functional status over time after COVID-19. Eur Respir J. 2020; 56(1). PMC: 7236834. DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01494-2020. View

15.

Carvalho-Schneider C, Laurent E, Lemaignen A, Beaufils E, Bourbao-Tournois C, Laribi S . Follow-up of adults with noncritical COVID-19 two months after symptom onset. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2020; 27(2):258-263. PMC: 7534895. DOI: 10.1016/j.cmi.2020.09.052. View

16.

Desgranges F, Tadini E, Munting A, Regina J, Filippidis P, Viala B . Post‑COVID‑19 Syndrome in Outpatients: a Cohort Study. J Gen Intern Med. 2022; 37(8):1943-1952. PMC: 8939498. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-021-07242-1. View

17.

Kupferschmitt A, Langheim E, Tuter H, Etzrodt F, Loew T, Kollner V . First results from post-COVID inpatient rehabilitation. Front Rehabil Sci. 2023; 3:1093871. PMC: 9899863. DOI: 10.3389/fresc.2022.1093871. View

18.

Agostini F, Mangone M, Ruiu P, Paolucci T, Santilli V, Bernetti A . Rehabilitation setting during and after Covid-19: An overview on recommendations. J Rehabil Med. 2020; 53(1):jrm00141. PMC: 8772378. DOI: 10.2340/16501977-2776. View

19.

Loboda D, Gibinski M, Wilczek J, Paradowska-Nowakowska E, Ekiert K, Rybicka E . Effectiveness of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation after COVID-19 in Poland. Pol Arch Intern Med. 2022; 133(1). DOI: 10.20452/pamw.16341. View

20.

Klanidhi K, Chakrawarty A, Bhadouria S, George S, Sharma G, Chatterjee P . Six-minute walk test and its predictability in outcome of COVID-19 patients. J Educ Health Promot. 2022; 11:58. PMC: 8975019. DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_544_21. View