Effect of a Ventilatory Assist Device in Addition to Supplemental Oxygen on Exercise Endurance in Subjects With COPD.

Background: This study assessed the clinical effects of a ventilatory assist (VA) device in addition to supplemental O (VA+O) on exercise endurance in subjects with severe to very severe COPD managed with long-term oxygen therapy (LTOT).

Methods: This was a crossover clinical feasibility study of the effects of VA+O in subjects with severe to very severe COPD managed with LTOT ( 15). At visit 1, physiologic measures were obtained, and subjects were tested on the cycle ergometer with VA.

Additional Evidence for the Long-Term Benefits of Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation programs document outcomes to prepare for program certification, to demonstrate the value of the program to upper management, and to provide feedback to pulmonary rehabilitation staff regarding the efficacy of the program. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using non-research-generated clinical data to report long-term outcomes following a pulmonary rehabilitation program.

Methods: Using a longitudinal descriptive design, all subjects who completed pulmonary rehabilitation at one community-based pulmonary rehabilitation program in the San Francisco Bay Area were asked to complete a 6-month and subsequent yearly questionnaires.

Clinical competency guidelines for pulmonary rehabilitation professionals: position statement of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation.

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 Rehabilitation Programs. These competencies provide a common core of 13 professional and clinical competencies inclusive of multiple academic and clinical disciplines.

Pulmonary rehabilitation improves long-term outcomes in interstitial lung disease: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation improves outcomes in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD), however it is unclear whether these effects are long lasting and which patients benefit most.

Methods: Patients with ILD were recruited into this prospective cohort study from three pulmonary rehabilitation programs. Patients completed functional assessments (6-minute walk distance (6MWD), and 4-meter walk time) and surveys (quality of life, dyspnea, depression, and physical activity) before rehabilitation, after rehabilitation, and at six months.

Pulmonary rehabilitation in interstitial lung disease: benefits and predictors of response.

Background: Data examining the role of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) in interstitial lung disease (ILD) are limited. We tested the hypothesis that PR can improve functional status and dyspnea in a large group of patients with ILD, and that certain baseline patient variables can predict this improvement.

Methods: Data from patients who were referred to PR with a diagnosis of ILD were included.