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ABSTRACT: Background and purpose
Dyspnea, fatigue, and reduced exercise tolerance are common in post-COVID-19 patients. In these patients, rehabilitation can improve functional capacity, reduce deconditioning after a prolonged stay in the intensive care unit, and facilitate the return to work. Thus, the present study verified the effects of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation consisting of continuous aerobic and resistance training of moderate-intensity on pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength, maximum and submaximal tolerance to exercise, fatigue, and quality of life in post-COVID-19 patients.Methods
Quasi-experimental study with a protocol of 12 sessions of an outpatient intervention. Adults over 18 years of age (N = 26) with a diagnosis of COVID-19 and hospital discharge at least 15 days before the first evaluation were included. Participants performed moderate-intensity continuous aerobic and resistance training twice a week. Maximal and submaximal exercise tolerance, lung function, respiratory muscle strength, fatigue and quality of life were evaluated before and after the intervention protocol.Results
Cardiopulmonary rehabilitation improved maximal exercise tolerance, with 18.62% increase in peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak) and 29.05% in time to reach VO2 peak. VE/VCO2 slope reduced 5.21% after intervention. We also observed increased submaximal exercise tolerance (increase of 70.57 m in the 6-min walk test, p = 0.001), improved quality of life, and reduced perceived fatigue after intervention.Discussion
Patients recovered from COVID-19 can develop persistent dysfunctions in almost all organ systems and present different signs and symptoms. The complexity and variability of the damage caused by this disease can make it difficult to target rehabilitation programs, making it necessary to establish specific protocols. In this work, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation improved lung function, respiratory muscle strength, maximal and submaximal exercise tolerance, fatigue and quality of life. Continuous aerobic and resistance training of moderate intensity proved to be effective in the recovery of post-COVID-19 patients.
SUBMITTER: Araujo BTS
PROVIDER: S-EPMC9539049 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Araújo Bruna T S BTS Barros Ana Eugênia V R AEVR Nunes Daiara T X DTX Remígio de Aguiar Maria Inês MI Mastroianni Viviane W VW de Souza Juliana A F JAF Fernades Juliana J Campos Shirley Lima SL Brandão Daniella Cunha DC Dornelas de Andrade Armele A
Physiotherapy research international : the journal for researchers and clinicians in physical therapy 20220911 1
<h4>Background and purpose</h4>Dyspnea, fatigue, and reduced exercise tolerance are common in post-COVID-19 patients. In these patients, rehabilitation can improve functional capacity, reduce deconditioning after a prolonged stay in the intensive care unit, and facilitate the return to work. Thus, the present study verified the effects of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation consisting of continuous aerobic and resistance training of moderate-intensity on pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strengt ...[more]