INTRODUCTION Pulmonary rehabilitation is effective in all stages of COPD. The availability and utilization of pulmonary rehabilitation resources, and the characteristics of COPD patients receiving rehabilitation, were investigated in primary and secondary care in central Sweden. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data on available pulmonary rehabilitation resources were collected using questionnaires, to ...

BACKGROUND Pulmonary rehabilitation is widely advocated for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to improve exercise capacity, symptoms and quality of life, however only a minority of individuals with COPD are able to participate. Travel and transport are frequently cited as barriers to uptake of centre-based programs. Other models of pulmonary rehabilitation, including home...

The six-minute walk test (6MWT) is a well-tolerated test which reflects daily activities and can be easily used in clinical practice. The 6MWT provides information about functional capacity, response to therapy and prognosis across a range of chronic cardiopulmonary conditions. Moreover, the 6MWT is sensitive to the common therapies used for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, such as pulmon...

The American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (AACVPR) recognizes that interdisciplinary health care professionals providing pulmonary rehabilitation services need to have certain core competencies. This statement updates the previous clinical competency guidelines for pulmonary rehabilitation professionals, and it complements the AACVPR's Guidelines for Pulmonary Reha...

Pulmonary rehabilitation and cardiac rehabilitation are components of guideline management for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Both have been shown to increase exercise tolerance, quality of life (QOL), and disease self-management. 2,3 However, in Canada these patients do not always receive the rehabilitation they need: Approximately ...

Exercise training is the cornerstone of pulmonary rehabilitation. However, patients may not be able to exercise at a level that produces a training effect because of limitations related to their underlying lung disease. Adjuncts during exercise training may increase their exercise capacity and increase the benefit of pulmonary rehabilitation. The pathophysiology of exercise associated limitatio...

Background: Conventional pulmonary rehabilitation programs improve exercise tolerance but have no effect on pulmonary function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The role of controlled breathing using respiratory biofeedback during rehabilitation of patients with COPD remains unclear. Objectives: To compare the effects of a conventional 4-week pulmonary rehabilitatio...

Pulmonary rehabilitation is an integral part of clinical management and health maintenance of patients with chronic respiratory disease who remain symptomatic or continue to have decreased function despite standard medical therapy. It is a spectrum of evidence-based, multidisciplinary, and comprehensive intervention for patients with chronic respiratory problems. Most evidence for the efficacy ...

This prospective cohort study was conducted to determine which pulmonary function parameters are useful in the prediction of exercise torelance and exercise-induced hypoxemia (EIH) among patients with chronic pulmonary diseases with different types of ventilatory defects. Fifty one patients with chronic pulmonary diseases who underwent comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation for periods of 4 to ...