摘要

background: pulmonary rehabilitation is widely recommended for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. objective: to evaluate the efficacy of pulmonary rehabilitation in improving exercise capacity, respiratory muscle strength and quality of life of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. method: this was an open, non-randomized clinical trial involving 27 clinically stable ex-smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who were enrolled in a pulmonary rehabilitation program. all were evaluated before and after pulmonary rehabilitation. results: mean age was 65 ㊣ 5 years, mean body mass index was 25 ㊣ 4 kg/m2, mean forced expiratory volume in one second was 55 ㊣ 25% of predicted, mean ratio between forced expiratory volume in one second and forced vital capacity was 50 ㊣ 12%, and mean arterial oxygen tension was 70 ㊣ 7 mmhg. comparison of pre- and post-pulmonary rehabilitation values revealed improvement in the distance walked in the 6-minute walk test (513 ㊣ 99 m vs. 570 ㊣ 104 m), maximum upper limb load (2 ㊣ 1 kg vs. 3 ㊣ 1 kg) and maximal inspiratory pressure (-89 ㊣ 23 cmh2o vs. -102 ㊣ 23 cmh2o), as well as in the activity domain, impact domain and total score on the saint george%26apos;s respiratory questionnaire. conclusion: pulmonary rehabilitation, when performed with care and with a focus on physical training, is efficacious in increasing not only the distance walked in the 6-minute walk test but maximum upper limb load, maximal inspiratory pressure and quality of life as well.

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