A99-07 Benefits of Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Pediatric Chronic Respiratory Disease

Abstract Rationale Chronic respiratory diseases in children contribute significantly to morbidity, exercise intolerance, and poor quality of life. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has demonstrated efficacy in improving both functional and quality of life outcomes in adults, but pediatric-focused PR programs remain rare and under-investigated. The purpose of this study is to investigate the characteristics and functional outcomes of children with chronic respiratory disease enrolled in a comprehensive pediatric PR program. Methods A single-center, cohort study examined children who completed a pediatric PR program between March 2017 and August 2025. Eligibility criteria included completion of a baseline evaluation and at least 5 PR sessions. Clinical data were retrospectively abstracted from the medical record, including demographics, pulmonary function tests (PFT), six-minute walk tests (6MWT), measures of exercise capacity, and self-reported quality of life outcomes. Data are presented as mean values with standard deviation, and includes comparisons pre- and post-PR using paired t-test. A p-value 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results A total of 51 unique patients were enrolled into the study. The cohort included 28 males (55%), mean age 14.4 ± 4.0 years. Underlying lung disease was classified as obstructive (45%), restrictive (39%), or mixed (6%) by spirometric patterns. Programmatically, the mean duration was 18.8 ± 13.5 sessions, mean interval between sessions 8.9 ± 3.3 days. PFTs did not significantly change following PR. In contrast, exercise capacity significantly improved, with 6MWT distance increasing from 1234.5 ± 401.9 ft to 1464.6 ± 403.0 ft (p = 0.0001). Moreover, functional performance measures improved, including 30-second sit-to-stand (13.7 ± 5.0 to 17.9 ± 7.8 reps, p = 0.0002), modified push-ups (15.4 ± 10.3 to 27.6 ± 20.5 reps, p = 0.0022), and 8-foot-up-and-go time (4.48 ± 1.16 to 3.88 ± 0.81 sec, p = 0.0001). Notably, self-reported quality of life improved (PedsQL patient: 64.95 ± 14.40 to 70.74 ± 11.20, p = 0.027; PedsQL parent: 60.67 ± 16.33 to 68.40 ± 12.63, p = 0.021). The program was favorably viewed by all participants and caregivers. Conclusion Beyond demonstrating feasibility of a pediatric PR program, the study identified that participation resulted in significant improvements in exercise capacity, strength, and quality of life, even in the absence of measurable PFT change. These findings highlight the holistic benefits of PR for children with chronic respiratory diseases. Collectively, these results provide a foundation for broader study and implementation of PR in pediatric chronic lung disease management. This abstract is funded by: None