Although the COVID-19 pandemic was announced almost 2 years ago, societies are stillfacing the effects not only of individuals but also of entire populations. Clinicalsymptoms in patients depending on the variant of the virus range from fever, sore throat,cough, fatigue, or gastrointestinal or neurological symptoms. Symptoms of respiratoryfailure also occur, as well as heart and kidney damage. Therefore, it is important toimplement appropriate pulmonary rehabilitation programs to counteract the effects of thedisease. The current project aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a comprehensivepulmonary rehabilitation program for patients hospitalized for SARS-CoV2 infection.
Initial studies indicated that approximately 60 days after the first COVID-19 symptom
onset, only 13% of patients previously hospitalized for COVID-19 were reported to be
essentially free of any COVID-19-related symptoms, while 32% had one or two symptoms and
55% had three or more symptoms. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic gives rise to new
psychosocial and emotional stressors for recovering patients, including social isolation,
physical distancing, loss of employment and uncertainties about the future. In the
confrontation of such an uncertain prognosis, it seems justified to introduce preventive
actions against the development of pandemic-related adverse effects. To date, only few
publications assessed the effectiveness of early post-hospital rehabilitation of patients
with COVID-19. This project is aimed to propose an innovative comprehensive intervention
based on a stationary pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programme for COVID-19 survivors.
Moreover, this project assumes the use of virtual reality (VR) in rehabilitation
processes.
Procedure: Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program
An in-patients 3-week high intensity rehabilitation program, five times a week, was used
as the intervention treatment. The author's pulmonary rehabilitation program was
programmed based on previous experience in patients with COPD. A holistic pulmonary
rehabilitation program with combined treatment focused on increasing exercise capacity,
restoring lung function, and supporting mental health, developed by a multidisciplinary
team, was introduced. Based on the patient's submaximal exercise tolerance test results,
the qualification for one of the respiratory physiotherapy models differing in therapy
intensity was performed. Rehabilitation models included exercise capacity training on a
cycle ergometer, breathing exercises, general fitness exercises, resistance training, and
relaxation.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Individuals hospitalized for COVID-19.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Failure to consent to participate in research,
- pneumonia,
- evidence of ischemic heart disease/acute changes on ECG,
- uncontrolled hypertension,
- insulin dependent diabetes mellitus,
- inability to exercise independently or musculoskeletal/neurological conditions that
would prevent completion of the course,
- lung cancer,
- cognitive disorders, or Mini-Mental State Examination < 24.
MSWiA Specialist Hospital in Głuchołazy
Głuchołazy, Opole, Poland
Investigator: Sebastian Rutkowski, PhD
Contact: +48 507027792
s.rutkowski@po.opole.pl
Sebastian Rutkowski, PhD
+48 77 449 8326
s.rutkowski@po.edu.pl
Not Provided