Effects of a Comprehensive Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Severe Post-COVID-19 Patients

Marc Spielmanns, Anna-Maria Pekacka-Egli, Sabine Schoendorf, Wolfram Windisch and Matthias Hermann
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Marc Spielmanns: Pulmonary Medicine and Sleep Medicine Center, Zurich RehaCenter Klinik Wald, CH-8636 Wald, Switzerland
Anna-Maria Pekacka-Egli: Pulmonary Medicine and Sleep Medicine Center, Zurich RehaCenter Klinik Wald, CH-8636 Wald, Switzerland
Sabine Schoendorf: Pulmonary Medicine and Sleep Medicine Center, Zurich RehaCenter Klinik Wald, CH-8636 Wald, Switzerland
Wolfram Windisch: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Faculty of Health, University Witten-Herdecke, D-58455 Witten, Germany
Matthias Hermann: Department of Cardiology, University Heart Centre, University Hospital Zurich, CH-8006 Zurich, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-13

Abstract: Background: Severe COVID-19 infection often leads to impairments requiring pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) following the acute phase. Little is known about the efficacy of PR in these patients. We therefore compared post-COVID-19 patients (PG) referred to PR patients with other lung diseases (LG). Methods: 99 PG were admitted to PR. In a prospective design, the results of PG were collected and compared to the results of LG of 2019 ( n = 419) according to Functional Independence Measurement (FIM), Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS), 6-min walk test (6-MWT), duration of PR, and Feeling Thermometer (FT). Results: According to age, sex, and CIRS, both groups showed no significant differences. The improvements in the 6-MWT in the pre to post comparison were on average 180 (±101) meters for PG and 102 (±89) meters for LG ( p < 0.001). FT showed a significant enhancement for PG of 21 (±14) points and for LG of 17 (±16) points ( p < 0.039), while FIM significantly increased by 11 (±10) points in PG and 7 (±8) points in LG ( p < 0.001). Conclusions: Comprehensive PR in PG is very effective according to the results in FIM, 6-MWT and FT. Therefore, we recommend PR following severe post-COVID-19 infections.

Keywords: COVID-19; pulmonary rehabilitation; FIM; 6-MWT; FT; CIRS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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