Impact of pulmonary rehabilitation on postoperative complications in patients with lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

BACKGROUND Given the extent of the surgical indications for pulmonary lobectomy in breathless patients, preoperative care and evaluation of pulmonary function are increasingly necessary. The aim of this study was to assess the contribution of preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) for reducing the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS The records of 116 patients with COPD, including 51 patients who received PR, were retrospectively analyzed. Pulmonary function testing, including slow vital capacity (VC) and forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1 ), was obtained preoperatively, after PR, and at one and six months postoperatively. The recovery rate of postoperative pulmonary function was standardized for functional loss associated with the different resected lung volumes. Propensity score analysis generated matched pairs of 31 patients divided into PR and non-PR groups. RESULTS The PR period was 18.7 ± 12.7 days in COPD patients. Preoperative pulmonary function was significantly improved after PR (VC 5.3%, FEV1 5.5%; P < 0.05). The FEV1 recovery rate one month after surgery was significantly better in the PR (101.6%; P < 0.001) than in the non-PR group (93.9%). In logistic regression analysis, predicted postoperative FEV1 , predicted postoperative %FEV1 , and PR were independent factors related to postoperative pulmonary complications after pulmonary lobectomy (odds ratio 18.9, 16.1, and 13.9, respectively; P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS PR improved the recovery rate of pulmonary function after lobectomy in the early period, and may decrease postoperative pulmonary complications.