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Effects of Pulmonary Rehabilitation on Respiratory Muscle Strength and Functional Capacity of Patients Following Lung Transplantation

Nissan Graur and Mordechai Reuven Kramer

Lung Transplantation has become an established treatment option for patients with a wide variety of end-stage lung diseases, with the aim to improve quality of life and survival. Prior studies illustrated respiratory muscle function impairment in patients who undergo lung transplantation. The study objective was to evaluate the effects of a pulmonary rehabilitation program on respiratory muscle strength, functional capacity and health related quality of life in patients following Lung transplantation. Six patients, 4 male and 2 female, who had undergone lung transplantation, 7-18 months prior to the study, participated in the pulmonary rehabilitation program and were evaluated before and after intervention. This program consisted of three main pulmonary rehabilitation components: a) Endurance exercises; (b) Strength exercises; and (c) Stretch exercises. The physical activities were provided twice a week, for 4 months. The results obtained after the pulmonary rehabilitation program showed no significant change in the functional capacity ability of the patients measured by the six-minute walk test. The maximal inspiratory pressure and maximal expiratory pressure values showed no significant change. The physical work capacity measured by the peak oxygen consumption (VO2 peak) showed no significant change. The post lung transplantation patients reported significantly higher health-related quality of life scores in physical health, emotional health and social functioning domains. Therefore, the pulmonary rehabilitation program in these patients did not improved functional capacity, respiratory muscle strength, physical work capacity, but improved health-related quality of life.