Abstract
Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a core component for the management of obstructive lung disease (OLD), but the benefits decline within 6 to 12 months without maintenance strategies (Spruit et al, 2013 AJRCCM). Pragmatic and effective long-term PR maintenance programs are therefore crucial. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a PR maintenance program to stabilize the benefits of PR over 7 years in patients with OLD.
Data were prospectively collected from 289 OLD patients (age: 66.5±8.7 years, FEV1: 64.0±24.8%predic.) who followed a PR maintenance program lasting from 1 to 7 years. The program was carried out in self-help associations within a healthcare network and consisted in 1 session/week of supervised exercise training and 8 sessions/year of therapeutic education. Changes in 6-minute walk distance (6MWD), quality of life score (VQ11), dyspnea (MRC) and lung function (FEV1) were assessed using mixed effect linear models.
Over the 7 years of follow-up, no significant deterioration in the VQ11 score (time effect: β=0.61, p=0.52), dyspnea (time effect: β=0.28, p=0.10) or FEV1 (%predic.; time effect: β=0.35, p=0.16) was observed. Conversely, 6MWD declined (%predic.; time effect: p<0.01) but this decline was statistically significant only from the 60th month (p<0.05).
This study demonstrated that PR gains in exercise tolerance were maintained for 5 years and that the PR effect on dyspnea and quality of life remained stabilized for 7 years. These findings suggest that pragmatic PR maintenance programs can conserve a long term efficiency.
Footnotes
Cite this article as: European Respiratory Journal 2019; 54: Suppl. 63, OA3578.
This is an ERS International Congress abstract. No full-text version is available. Further material to accompany this abstract may be available at www.ers-education.org (ERS member access only).
- Copyright ©the authors 2019