Effect of Physical Training in Copd Patients

We examined the effect of physical training on cardiopulmonary function in 21 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and compared the results with similar observations in eight untrained patients. The training consisted of daily walking on a treadmill at increasing speeds and grades and other graded physical exercises. Evaluation of pulmonary function, including spirometric studies, lung volumes, and arterial blood gas levels, showed no significant change after training. Hemodynamic functions, including heart rate, cardiac index, stroke index, pulmonary vascular resistance, and arteriovenous oxygen content difference, were similarly unchanged at comparable submaximal loads. Pulmonary arterial wedge pressure increased after training in the