Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation in Long-COVID-19 Patients with Persistent Breathlessness and Fatigue: The COVID-Rehab Study

Florent Besnier, Béatrice Bérubé, Jacques Malo, Christine Gagnon, Catherine-Alexandra Grégoire, Martin Juneau, François Simard, Philippe L’Allier, Anil Nigam, Josep Iglésies-Grau, Thomas Vincent, Deborah Talamonti, Emma Gabrielle Dupuy, Hânieh Mohammadi, Mathieu Gayda and Louis Bherer
Additional contact information
Florent Besnier: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Béatrice Bérubé: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Jacques Malo: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Christine Gagnon: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Catherine-Alexandra Grégoire: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Martin Juneau: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
François Simard: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Philippe L’Allier: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Anil Nigam: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Josep Iglésies-Grau: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Thomas Vincent: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Deborah Talamonti: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Emma Gabrielle Dupuy: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Hânieh Mohammadi: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Mathieu Gayda: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada
Louis Bherer: Research Center and Centre ÉPIC, Montreal Heart Institute, Montréal, QC H1T 1N6, Canada

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 7, 1-11

Abstract: (1) Background: Cardiopulmonary and brain functions are frequently impaired after COVID-19 infection. Exercise rehabilitation could have a major impact on the healing process of patients affected by long COVID-19. (2) Methods: The COVID-Rehab study will investigate the effectiveness of an eight-week cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program on cardiorespiratory fitness ( V ˙ O 2 max) in long-COVID-19 individuals. Secondary objectives will include functional capacity, quality of life, perceived stress, sleep quality (questionnaires), respiratory capacity (spirometry test), coagulation, inflammatory and oxidative-stress profile (blood draw), cognition (neuropsychological tests), neurovascular coupling and pulsatility (fNIRS). The COVID-Rehab project was a randomised clinical trial with two intervention arms (1:1 ratio) that will be blindly evaluated. It will recruit a total of 40 individuals: (1) rehabilitation: centre-based exercise-training program (eight weeks, three times per week); (2) control: individuals will have to maintain their daily habits. (3) Conclusions: Currently, there are no specific rehabilitation guidelines for long-COVID-19 patients, but preliminary studies show encouraging results. Clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05035628).

Keywords: COVID-19; long COVID; rehabilitation; cognition; exercise; physical activity; respiratory rehabilitation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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