ZuWallack - Figure 45
Outcome Trajectory over 6 Months
FIG. 45: At this point we can ask, How does pulmonary rehabilitation work? How effective is pulmonary rehabilitation in terms of physical activity? It is superb for increasing exercise capacity, at least in a short term. The Figure shows data from a study from Leuven, Belgium, where the intervention was a 6-month multidisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation program.[35] The 6-min walk distance (6MWD) showing a substantial increase at 3 months, after which it plateaued and did not drop further by 6 months. The bottom left graph shows an improving Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRDQ), with a total QOL score showing an increase that was statistically significant and clinically meaningful at 3 months; and also seemed to plateau during the second half of the pulmonary rehabilitation intervention up to 6 months. Oxygen consumption (VO2) peak work rate increased and fell toward the end of pulmonary rehabilitation, but physical activity, measured directly as walking time from a device (accelerometer-based activity monitor) at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months showing a progressive increase over this period. So unlike exercise capacity and QOL, physical activity levels were still increasing by the end of pulmonary rehabilitation.
References
Pitta F, Troosters T, Probst VS, et al. Are patients with COPD more active after pulmonary rehabilitation? Chest 2008;134:273–280.
