Outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Objective: To evaluate an entirely outpatient-based program of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease COPD, using St.George's Respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ), the 6-minutes walking test (6-MWT) and BODE index as the primary outcome measures.

Methods: A prospective, parallel-group controlled study of an outpatient rehabilitation program in 80 patients with COPD (67 men and 13 women; mean age 64.

Effect of a noninvasive ventilatory support during exercise of a program in pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with COPD.

Background: Breathlessness is the most common symptom limiting exercise in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Exercise training can improve both exercise tolerance and health status in these patients, intensity of exercise being of key importance. Nevertheless, in these patients extreme breathlessness and/or peripheral muscle fatigue may prevent patients from reaching higher levels of intensity.