Key result
Cardiopulmonary telerehabilitation improved functional capacity on the 6-minute step test by 28 ± 17 steps compared to 15 ± 26 steps with standard care (p=0.04).
Why the study?
Access to cardiopulmonary rehabilitation is poor, and few clinical trials have verified the effectiveness of telerehabilitation using functional exercises for post-COVID symptoms.
Does cardiopulmonary telerehabilitation improve performance on the 6-minute step test in adult individuals after COVID-19 hospital discharge?
RCT (n=67)
Blinded
Randomized
Does cardiopulmonary telerehabilitation improve performance on the 6-minute step test in adult individuals after COVID-19 hospital discharge?
Absolute Event Rate: 28% vs 15%
p-value: p=0.04
Cardiopulmonary telerehabilitation using functional exercises significantly improves functional capacity and quality of life in patients after COVID-19 hospital discharge.
May support telerehabilitation for functional gains; hypothesis-generating and needs larger trials before practice change.
Introduction Individuals with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may present respiratory and motor complications, requiring rehabilitation programs (RP) for long periods. However, access to cardiopulmonary rehabilitation is poor. Cardiopulmonary telerehabilitation is an alternative for cardiopulmonary dysfunction, improving functional capacity, dyspnea, and quality of life. Moreover, few clinical trials verified the effectiveness of telerehabilitation using functional exercise for post-COVID symptoms. Thus, the present study aimed to verify the effects of cardiopulmonary telerehabilitation using functional and accessible exercises in individuals after COVID-19 hospital discharge. Methods This blinded, randomized, and controlled clinical trial and included 67 adult individuals after COVID-19 hospital discharge. Participants were randomized into the groups of telerehabilitation (TG; n = 33) and control (CG; n = 34). TG underwent an individualized exercise program (functional and accessible exercises) supervised by a physical therapist (videoconference), and CG received guidance on general care and self-monitoring of vital signs (videoconference). The primary outcome was performance and physiological responses on the 6-minute step test (6MST). Secondary outcomes were performance on the 2-minute stationary walk test (2MSWT), 30-second chair stand test (30CST), and quality of life using the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire physical functioning concept (PF). Results Functional capacity (6MST) improved by 28 ± 17 steps in TG and 15 ± 26 in CG ( p = 0.04). For secondary outcomes, performance on 2MSWT increased by 39 ± 6 steps in TG and 10 ± 6 in CG ( p = 0.00); 30CST by 3 ± 1 repetitions in TG and 1.5 ± 0.5 in CG ( p = 0.05); and PF (SF-36) by 17 ± 4 points in TG and 12 ± 4 in CG ( p = 0.00). Also, peak oxygen uptake VO 2peak (6MST) improved by 3.8 ± 1 mL min −1 kg −1 in TG and 4.1 ± 1 in CG ( p = 0.6), and heart rate demand (6MST) by 11 ± 37% in TG and −4 ± 19% in CG ( p = 0.04). Conclusions Cardiopulmonary telerehabilitation using functional exercises improved the exercise and functional capacity assessed using 6MST, 30CST, and 2MSWT and the quality of life of individuals after COVID-19 hospital discharge.
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Silva et al. (2023) conducted an RCT in COVID-19 (n=67). Cardiopulmonary telerehabilitation using functional exercises vs. Guidance on general care and self-monitoring of vital signs was evaluated on Performance and physiological responses on the 6-minute step test (6MST) (p=0.04). Cardiopulmonary telerehabilitation improved functional capacity on the 6-minute step test by 28 ± 17 steps compared to 15 ± 26 steps with standard care (p=0.04).
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