ZuWallack - Figure 9
Why Pulmonary Rehab Works
FIG. 9: This Figure, a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant image. the man in the middle has emphysema. As seen in his arms (but further down his legs would be the same),this patient marked muscle depletion. He illustrates body wasting from the effects of emphysema and COPD. Even if this patient were administered the most effective possible bronchodilator, thus completely reversing his lung function deficit and returning it to normal, he would still have difficulty walking up a flight of stairs without dyspnea. This is because COPD, especially in its advanced stages, causes profound systemic disability and is associated with common comorbidities that limit functional status and add to the symptom burden of patients with COPD. It is precisely in these areas of systemic morbidity, and comorbidity that pulmonary rehabilitation often has substantial benefit.
