Efficacy of a simple and inexpensive exercise training program for advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients in community hospitals

• Main Authors: Pothirat,C., Chaiwong,W., Phetsuk,N.
• Format: Article
• Published: Pioneer Bioscience Publishing Company (PBPC) 2015
• Subjects: Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
• Online Access: http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=84928568821&origin=inward; http://cmuir.cmu.ac.th/handle/6653943832/38469
• Institution: Chiang Mai University

© Journal of Thoracic Disease. Background: Exercise training is an important part of pulmonary rehabilitation; however it may not be appropriate for large-scale practice in community hospitals due to the complexity of the program and expensive training equipment, including cycle ergometry and treadmills. This study therefore aims to evaluate the efficacy of a more simplified exercise training program with inexpensive training equipment. Methods: A multicentre study of a mild to moderate intensity exercise training program was conducted based on incremental strength and endurance with two 35-40-minute sessions per week for 8 weeks. The program was performed by 30 outpatients from five community hospitals. Patients were monitored regularly for various parameters including strength of trained muscles, level of dyspnea, 6-minute walk distance, and quality of life (QoL) at baseline at 1, 2, 3, 6, 9 and 12 months. Unpaired t-tests were applied to determine the progress of trained muscle strength and minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs) were used to assess clinical outcomes. Results: Thirty patients (13 males, 17 females) were enrolled with a mean age of 69.1±8.9 years, body mass index 20.5±4.4 kg/m², and mean % of predicted forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV<inf>1</inf>) 45.1±10.8. According to GOLD classification, eight (26.7%) cases were in stage II, 20 (66.7%) cases in stage III, and two (6.6%) cases in stage IV. Limb and chest wall muscle strength, dyspnea level, exercise capacity and QoL showed statistically significant improvements throughout the 12-month follow-up (P < 0.01). There were clinically significant improvements in QoL throughout the 12-month follow-up, exercise capacity from months 2 to 12, and dyspnea levels at months 2, 3 and 9. Conclusions: The implementation of a simplified and inexpensive exercise training program was shown to be effective for advanced chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients in community hospitals.