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Review
. 2022 Jul 18:9:907664.
doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.907664. eCollection 2022.

Non-pharmacological Management in Palliative Care for Patients With Advanced COPD

Anna Pyszora  1 , Agnieszka Lewko  2
Affiliations
Review

Non-pharmacological Management in Palliative Care for Patients With Advanced COPD

Anna Pyszora et al. Front Cardiovasc Med. .

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disabling condition associated with progressive airflow limitation and lung tissue damage; its main symptoms are breathlessness, fatigue, cough, and sputum production. In the advanced stage of the disease, these symptoms may severely impact on a person's physical and psychological functioning, with some also developing chronic respiratory failure, associated with blood gas abnormalities. Non-pharmacological interventions can improve quality of life and functioning in the management of people living with advanced COPD. This article will provide an overview of common non-pharmacological methods used in the symptomatic management of severe COPD, including: breathlessness and fatigue management strategies, anxiety management, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) and physical activity (PA), neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), airway clearance techniques (ACTs), nutrition and non-invasive ventilation (NIV). The importance of a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to people living with COPD will be discussed.

Keywords: COPD; narrative review; non-pharmacological management; palliative care; physiotherapy.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The model of breathlessness and management approaches. Adopted from Spathis et al. (21). ACTs, airway clearance techniques; IMT, inspiratory muscle training; NIV, non-invasive ventilation; NMES, neuromuscular electrical stimulation.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effectiveness of Non-invasive ventilation in patients with advanced COPD. NIV, non-invasive ventilation; WOB, work of breathing.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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