Effects of an outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program in adults with post-COVID-19 syndrome: a retrospective cohort study
Abstract
Objective: To evaluate the effects of an outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program in adult subjects with post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS).
Materials and methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a specialized center. Subjects over 18 years old with PCS. All subjects completed a 10-week PR program based on aerobic and peripheral muscle strength training. Exercise capacity was assessed using the 6-minute walk test (6MWT). Dyspnea (modified Medical Research Council [mMRC] scale) and functional status (post-COVID-19 functional status [PCFS] scale) were also analyzed. Results were analyzed and compared according to the clinical group: outpatients, subjects hospitalized in general wards, and subjects in intensive care units.
Results: Seventy-six subjects were analyzed (52.6 % women). The distance walked in the 6MWT increased significantly by +73 m in the total cohort (95 % CI: 63.8–89.6; p < 0.001) and in all groups after PR, exceeding the clinically relevant threshold of 30 m in all cases. Dyspnea (mMRC) and functional status (PCFS) decreased by a median of 1 point in the total sample and in the outpatient and general ward groups (p < 0.001 in all cases). No adverse events were reported during the program.
Conclusion: Outpatient PR in adults with PCS was safe and was associated with a significant and clinically relevant improvement in exercise capacity, dyspnea, and functional status.
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