Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Mar 1;21(2):110-115.
doi: 10.5152/TurkThoracJ.2019.18202. Print 2020 Mar.

Effect of 8-week Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program on Dyspnea and Functional Capacity of Patients on Waiting List for Lung Transplantation

Lütfiye Kılıç  1 , Esra Pehlivan  2 , Arif Balcı  1 , Nur Dilek Bakan  3
Affiliations

Effect of 8-week Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program on Dyspnea and Functional Capacity of Patients on Waiting List for Lung Transplantation

Lütfiye Kılıç et al. Turk Thorac J. .

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of comprehensive, 8-week outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programme consisting of 60-min sessions twice a week under supervision on dyspnea and exercise capacity of patients who were lung transplantation (LTx) candidates.

Materials and methods: Between March 2012 and December 2014, medical data of 23 patients on the waiting list for LTx who were referred to our PR unit and completed 16-session outpatient under direct supervision were retrospectively analyzed. Data on exercise capacity as assessed by 6-minute walking test (6MWT) and the rate of perceived dyspnea as assessed by the Borg scale and Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea scale were recorded.

Results: Of 23 patients 57% were males; the mean age was 35±10 (range: 16-48) years. Four patients were operated early, as an appropriate donor was available. Diagnosis was as follows: bronchiectasis (n=10, 44%), silicosis (n=7, 30%), sarcoidosis (n=2, 9%), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (n=1, 4%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n=1, 4%), and others (n=2, 9%). At the end of the program, there was a significant improvement (median: 60 m) in 6MWT scores (360 [70-254] m vs. 300 [139-489] m; p=0.018). In addition, a clinical improvement was observed in Borg (p=0.000) and MRC scores (p=0.008).

Conclusion: Our study results suggest that 8-week outpatient PR programme consisting of training twice a week is effective to decrease perceived dyspnea and to improve exercise capacity in patients who are on the waiting list for LTx.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagram of the study population IPF: idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis; COPD: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Florian J, Rubin A, Mattiello R, et al. Impact of pulmonary rehabilitation on quality of life and functional capacity in patients on waiting lists for lung transplantation. J Bras Pneumol. 2013;39:349–56. doi: 10.1590/S1806-37132013000300012. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hook JL, Lederer DJ. Selecting lung transplant candidates: where do current guidelines fall short? Expert Rev Respir Med. 2012;6:51–61. doi: 10.1586/ers.11.83. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rochester CL. Pulmonary rehabilitation for patients who undergo lung-volume-reduction surgery or lung transplantation. Respir Care. 2008;53:1196–202. - PubMed
    1. Foster S, Thomas HM., 3rd Pulmonary rehabilitation in lung disease other than chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1990;141:601–4. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm/141.3.601. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pehlivan E, Balcı A, Kılıç L, et al. Preoperative Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Lung Transplant: Effects on Pulmonary Function, Exercise Capacity, and Quality of Life; First Results in Turkey. Exp Clin Transplant. 2018;16:455–60. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources