Chest
Volume 77, Issue 2, February 1980, Pages 311-314
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Ten Year Follow-Up of a Comprehensive Rehabilitation Program for Severe COPD

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Material and Methods

Between 1966 and 1968, 182 patients with severe COPD were accepted into the program. Patients were selected by the following criteria: 1) a clinical diagnosis of emphysema or chronic bronchitis; 2) the absence of other significant pulmonary disease such as tuberculosis, silicosis or cancer; 3) the absence of other disabling non-pulmonary diseases such as coronary artery disease and diabetes; 4) measurable ventilatory function loss resulting in a maximum voluntary ventilation or forced

Results

At the end of the third year, 64 percent of the patients were living, and by five years, 41 percent were alive. The ten year data show that only 28 patients, or 17 percent of the initial group, were alive (Fig 1). This is in striking contrast to the life table of white men age 61 in 1968 who show an 86 percent five-year and 69 percent ten-year survival (P < 0.05).

One hundred forty-three patients died during the ten year follow-up. Three-fourths of these deaths (110) were due to pulmonary causes

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ACCP Pulmonary Rehabilitation Committee Statement, 1974.

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