Functional exercise capacity and lung function in patients undergoing an early rehabilitation program after the Nuss procedure: a randomized controlled trial.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the functional exercise capacity and the lung function among patients undergoing early rehabilitation with those submitted to the conventional care after pectus excavatum repair using the Nuss procedure.

Method: Patients were randomly allocated to the early rehabilitation group (ERG) who started rehabilitation after surgery and the group of the conventional care (CG) received routine care of the institution. They were evaluated before surgery (preoperative) and in hospital discharge day (postoperative).

Results: Forty patients were evaluated, twenty in each group. All patients presented a significant reduction in FVC, FEV1, and PEF in the postoperative period, there was no statistically significant difference between groups. There was significant different in postoperative functional exercise capacity between the ERG and CG (506.26 ± 66.54 vs 431.11 ± 75.61, p = 0.02) and the difference between distance walked in the preoperative and postoperative period was lower in the ERC than in the CG (76.57 ± 49.41 vs 166.82 ± 70.13, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Patients undergoing the early rehabilitation after the Nuss procedure presented a better postoperative functional exercise capacity in hospital discharge day compared with patients in the conventional group, with no difference in lung function between groups.