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51 male patients with mild degree chronic airway obstruction underwent detailed evaluation of pulmonary function tests, blood gas analysis and exercise tolerance test before and after a short-term therapy. The patients were randomly assigned to medical therapy alone or to medical and rehabilitative therapy. 23 patients treated with medical and rehabilitative therapy showed a significant decrease of respiratory rate and PaCO2 and a significant increase of TV, FEV1.0, FEV0.75×4.0, paO2, SaO2 and exercise tolerance after a month of therapy. 28 patients treated with medical therapy alone showed a significant increase of VC and FEV0.75x4.0. These data suggest that rehabilitative therapy is a valid adjunct to medical therapy in the short-term treatment of chronic airway obstruction.
Ambrosino et al. (Wed,) studied this question.