Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Pulmonary rehabilitation has become an important therapeutic modality for patients with symptomatic lung disease, especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This article reviews the basic definitions, objectives, components, and outcomes of pulmonary rehabilitation. By definition, rehabilitation services are provided to patients with symptoms; most of them have advanced lung disease. Although most of the data proving the usefulness of rehabilitation service have been obtained from studies of patients with COPD, the basic principles and tools are applicable to patients with many other limiting chronic diseases of the respiratory system. Because new therapeutic strategies, such as lung volume reduction surgery and lung transplantation, require well-conditioned patients, pulmonary rehabilitation is becoming a crucial component of the overall therapeutic strategy of many patients who heretofore were deemed untreatable. This article is both practical and inclusive and should provide the reader with a good overview of the topic. It also intends to place emphasis on the recent advances without losing touch with the time-proven elements of pulmonary rehabilitation. Key Words: Pulmonary rehabilitation - COPD - exercise - dyspnea