A systematic review of exercise studies for individuals hospitalized with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Focus on the principles of exercise training.

BACKGROUND: For exercise interventions to be effectively reproduced or applied in a "real world" clinical setting, clinical trials must thoroughly document all components of the exercise prescription and ensure that participants adhere to each component. However, previous reviews have not critically examined the quality of exercise prescription of inpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) programs. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this review were to evaluate the (a) application of the principles of exercise training, (b) reporting of the frequency, intensity, time and type (FITT) components of exercise prescription, and (c) reporting of patient's adherence to the FITT components in intervention studies for patients admitted to hospital for an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD). METHODS: Relevant scientific databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared in-hospital PR with usual care for people hospitalized with AECOPD. Title and abstract followed by full-text screening were conducted independently by two reviewers. Data were extracted and synthesized to evaluate the application of the principles of exercise training and the reporting/adherence of the FITT components. RESULTS: Twenty-seven RCTs were included. Only two applied all principles of exercise training. Specificity was applied by 70%, progression by 48%, overload by 37%, initial values by 89% and diminishing returns and reversibility by 37% of trials. Ten trials adequately reported all FITT components. Frequency and type were the components most reported (85% and 81%, respectively), while intensity was less frequently reported (52%). Only three trials reported on the patient's adherence to all four components. CONCLUSIONS: Studies have not adequately reported the exercise prescription in accordance with the principles of exercise training nor reported all the FITT components of the exercise prescription and patient's adherence to them. Therefore, interpretation of the current literature is limited and information for developing exercise prescriptions to individuals hospitalized with an AECOPD is lacking.

Safety and Efficacy of Inpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Patients Hospitalized with an Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-analyses.

Rationale: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) during hospitalization for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) occurs during a period of disease instability for the patient, and the safety and efficacy of PR, specifically during the hospitalization period, have not been established. Objective: The purpose of this review is to determine the safety and efficacy of PR during the hospitalization phase for individuals with AECOPD. Methods: Scientific databases were searched up to August 2022 for randomized controlled trials that compared in-hospital PR with usual care. PR programs commenced during the hospitalization and included a minimum of two sessions. Titles and abstracts followed by full-text screening and data extraction were conducted independently by two reviewers. The intervention effect estimates were calculated through meta-analysis using a random-effect model. Results: A total of 27 studies were included (n = 1,317). The meta-analysis showed that inpatient PR improved the 6-minute-walk distance by 105 m (P < 0.001). Inpatient PR improved the performance on the five-repetition sit-to-stand test by -7.02 seconds (P = 0.03). Quality of life (QOL), as measured by the 5-level EuroQoL Group-5 dimension version (EQ-ED-5L) and the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire, was significantly improved by the intervention. Inpatient PR increased lower limb muscle strength by 33.35 N (P < 0.001). There was no change in the length of stay. Only one serious adverse event related to the intervention was reported. Conclusions: This review suggests that it is safe and effective to provide PR during hospitalization for individuals with AECOPD. In-hospital PR improves functional exercise capacity, QOL, and lower limb strength without prolonging the hospital length of stay.

Safety and efficacy of inpatient pulmonary rehabilitation for patients hospitalised with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a systematic review protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) following an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) reduces the risk of hospital admissions, and improves physical function and health-related quality of life. However, the safety and efficacy of in-hospital PR during the most acute phase of an AECOPD is not well established. This paper describes the protocol for a systematic review with meta-analysis to determine the safety and efficacy of inpatient acute care PR during the hospitalisation phase. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Medical literature databases and registries MEDLINE, EMBASE, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, CENTRAL, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, WHO trials portal and ClinicalTrials.gov will be searched for articles from inception to June 2021 using a prespecified search strategy. We will identify randomised controlled trials that have a comparison of in-hospital PR with usual care. PR programmes had to commence during the hospitalisation and include a minimum of two sessions. Title and abstract followed by full-text screening will be conducted independently by two reviewers. A meta-analysis will be performed if there is sufficient homogeneity across selected studies or groups of studies. The Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcomes and Study characteristics framework will be used to standardise the data collection process. The quality of the cumulative evidence will be assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations framework. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: AECOPD results in physical limitations which are amenable to PR. This review will assess the safety and efficacy of in-hospital PR for AECOPD. The results will be presented in a peer-reviewed publication and at research conferences. Ethical review is not required for this study.