Citations
To investigate the efficacy of systemic pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) after lung resection in patients with lung cancer.
Forty-one patients undergoing lung resection were enrolled and classified into the experimental (n=31) and control groups (n=10). The experimental group underwent post-operative systemic PR which was conducted 30 min/day on every hospitalization day by an expert physical therapist. The control group received the same education about the PR exercises and were encouraged to self-exercise without supervision of the physical therapist. The PR group was taught a self-PR program and feedback was provided regularly until 6 months after surgery. We conducted pulmonary function testing (PFT) and used a visual analog scale (VAS) to evaluate pain, and the modified Borg Dyspnea Scale (mBS) to measure perceived respiratory exertion shortly before and 2 weeks, 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery.
A significant improvement on the VAS was observed in patients who received systemic PR >3 months. Significant improvements in forced vital capacity (FVC) and mBS score were observed in patients who received systemic PR >6 months (p<0.05). Other PFT results were not different compared with those in the control group.
Patients who received lung resection suffered a significant decline in functional reserve and increases in pain and subjective dyspnea deteriorating quality of life (QoL). Systemic PR supervised by a therapist helped improve reduced pulmonary FVC and QoL and minimized discomfort during the postoperative periods in patients who underwent lung resection.
Citations
Low vital capacity is a risk factor for scoliosis correction operation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients, but pulmonary rehabilitation, including noninvasive intermittent positive pressure ventilator application, air stacking exercise, and assisted coughing technique, reduces the pulmonary complications and perioperative mortality risk. In this case, the patient's preoperative forced vital capacity (FVC) was 8.6% of normal predicted value in sitting position and 9.4% in supine position. He started pulmonary rehabilitation before the operation and continued right after the operation. Scoliosis correction operation was successful without any pulmonary complications, and his discomfort in sitting position was improved. If pulmonary rehabilitative support is provided properly, FVC below 10% of normal predicted value is not a contraindication of scoliosis correction operation in DMD patients.
Citations
Objective: It is known that Mechanical in-exsufflator (MI-E) can reduce pulmonary complications such as pneumonia, atelectasis in tetraplegia by increasing inspiratory and expiratory capacity. The aim of this study is to clarify the effectiveness of MI-E on pulmonary function and coughing capacity in tetraplegia.
Method: Thirty tetraplegic patients who had neither history nor radiologic finding of pulmonary disease were divided into two groups; control (n=15) and experimental (n=15) groups. Control group received conventional pulmonary rehabilitation, while experimental group received additional MI-E therapy for one month. The pulmonary function was evaluated by measuring percentage of predicted value of vital capacity (% VC), maximal insufflation capacity (MIC), unassisted peak cough flow (UPCF), volume assisted peak cough flow (VPCF), manual assisted peak cough flow (MPCF), manual and volume assisted peak cough flow (MVPCF). These data of pulmonary function before and after treatment were compared between two groups.
Results: 1) There are significant improvement of pulmonary function in both groups (p<0.05) except UPCF in control group before and after treatment. 2) The experimental group showed more improvement in MIC, VPCF, MPCF and MVPCF than control group (p<0.05).
Conclusion: MI-E therapy can be used as an effective therapeutic modality for the improvement of pulmonary function in combination with conventional pulmonary rehabilitation. (J Korean Acad Rehab Med 2002; 26: 403-408)
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a short-term inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation treatment program including inspiratory muscle training and reconditioning exercise in pneumoconiosis patients.
Method: Thirty pneumoconiosis patients have undergone a 3-week inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program. The program included a inspiratory muscle strengthening, relaxation technique and reconditioning exercise such as walking and upper extremity strengthening. The effectiveness of treatment was evaluated by a pulmonary function test, 6-minute walk distance and 150 mm-visual analog dyspnea scale before and after the program.
Results: After the 3-week inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program, there was a significant increase in 6-minute walk distance(p<0.01) and a significant decrease in 150 mm-visual analog dyspnea scale(p<0.01). However the pulmonary function test showed no significant change.
Conclusion: We concluded that the short-term inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program can improve the exercise tolerance by reduction of dyspnea and increase of walk distance, and ultimately increase the quality of life in pneumoconiosis patients.