Effect of 8-week Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program on Dyspnea and Functional Capacity of Patients on Waiting List for Lung Transplantation

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of comprehensive, 8-week outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programme consisting of 60-min sessions twice a week under supervision on dyspnea and exercise capacity of patients who were lung transplantation (LTx) candidates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between March 2012 and December 2014, medical data of 23 patients on the waiting list for LTx who were referred to our PR unit and completed 16-session outpatient under direct supervision were retrospectively analyzed. Data on exercise capacity as assessed by 6-minute walking test (6MWT) and the rate of perceived dyspnea as assessed by the Borg scale and Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea scale were recorded. RESULTS: Of 23 patients 57% were males; the mean age was 35 +/- 10 (range: 16-48) years. Four patients were operated early, as an appropriate donor was available. Diagnosis was as follows: bronchiectasis (n=10, 44%), silicosis (n=7, 30%), sarcoidosis (n=2, 9%), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (n=1, 4%), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n=1, 4%), and others (n=2, 9%). At the end of the program, there was a significant improvement (median: 60 m) in 6MWT scores (360 [70-254] m vs. 300 [139-489] m; p=0.018). In addition, a clinical improvement was observed in Borg (p=0.000) and MRC scores (p=0.008). CONCLUSION: Our study results suggest that 8-week outpatient PR programme consisting of training twice a week is effective to decrease perceived dyspnea and to improve exercise capacity in patients who are on the waiting list for LTx.