COPD patients' ability to follow exercise influences short-term outcomes of rehabilitation

¹ Horten Centre, University of Zurich, Switzerland
² Clarity Research Group, Dept of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada & Dept. of Medicine, University at Buffalo, NY, USA; and Dept of Epidemiology, Italian National Cancer Institute Regina Elena, Rome, Italy
³ Klinik Barmelweid, Barmelweid, Switzerland

	Abstract

COPD patients with limited ability to follow exercise protocols may have smaller benefits from rehabilitation. We assessed the association between the ability to follow exercise protocols and short-term outcomes of rehabilitation in COPD patients.

As measure of the ability to follow exercise protocols, we determined the number of major breaks of 1 minute of 98 COPD patients during supervised exercise sessions. We compared benefits from rehabilitation between patients with, on average, >1 and 1 major breaks per session.

Patients with 1 major break per session showed significantly greater improvements of exercise capacity (between-groups difference of 38 meters [95% CI 8–68] for Six-minute walk distance, 22.1 Watt [5.5–38.7] for short-time maximum exercise capacity [steep ramp test] and 5.5 Watt [0.1–11.1] for maximum exercise capacity). Quality of life also tended to be better in patients with 1 major break per session, but differences were not significant (adjusted between-groups difference of 0.14 [-0.37–0.66]).

Limited ability to follow exercise protocols is associated with smaller benefits from rehabilitation. This finding highlights the importance of choosing tolerable exercise protocols for COPD patients.