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Background: Incremental shuttle walking tests (ISWT) are regarded as valuable alternatives to 6-min walking tests (6MWT) and cardiopulmonary exercise tests (CPET) owing to the maximal and externally paced loading. This study investigated the validity and reliability of ISWT by analyzing the correlation of the distances of two field tests with peak oxygen consumption (VO2) of CPET in patients with COPD. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, patients with COPD were enrolled from two hospitals. Three assessments were performed for all patients. The ISWT and 6MWT were repeated twice in Hospital 1 to assess reliability. Results: A total of 29 patients were enrolled. The distances of ISWT (0.782, p < 0.001) and 6MWT (0.512, p = 0.005) correlated with peak VO2. The intraclass correlation coefficients of both ISWT (0.988, p < 0.001) and 6MWT (0.959, p < 0.001) was high. Patients with higher peak VO2 walked a longer distance in ISWT than 6MWT (r = 0.590, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The ISWT more highly correlates with peak VO2 than the 6MWT and has excellent reliability in patients with COPD. According to peak VO2, the walking distances of each field test varied, suggesting that the application should be personalized for the exercise capacity.
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BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy is a common treatment option for lung or esophageal cancer, particularly when surgery is not feasible for patients with poor lung function. However, radiotherapy can affect pulmonary function and thereby induce pneumonitis or pneumonia, which can be fatal in patients with respiratory impairment. The purpose of this study is to evaluate if reductions in pulmonary function after radiotherapy can be minimized through simultaneous pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). METHODS: In this matched case control study, we retrospectively analyzed patients who had undergone radiotherapy for thoracic malignant disease between January 2018 and June 2019. We analyzed results from pulmonary function tests and 6-minute walking tests (6MWT) conducted within the six months before and after radiotherapy treatment. RESULTS: In total, results from 144 patients were analyzed, with 11 of the patients receiving PR and radiotherapy simultaneously. Of the 133 patients in the control group, 33 were matched with 11 patients in the PR group. Changes in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and FEV1/forced vital capacity were significantly different between the PR group and the matched control group (240 mL vs. -10 mL, p=0.017 and 5.5% vs. 1.0%, p=0.038, respectively). The median distance of 6MWT in the PR group also increased significantly, from 407.5 m to 493.0 m after radiotherapy (p=0.017). CONCLUSION: Simultaneous PR improved pulmonary function, particularly in measures of FEV1, and exercise capacity for patients with lung or esophageal cancer even after radiotherapy treatment. These findings may provide an important base of knowledge for further large population studies with long-term follow-up analysis in the identification of the PR's effects during thoracic radiotherapy.
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Purpose: Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) is a well-established treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The standard protocol for PR requires frequent hospital visits, which can be difficult for patients. We performed this study to assess whether unsupervised home-based PR (HBPR) is effective for patients with COPD. Patients and Methods: After assessing the outcome data, including the results of a COPD assessment test (CAT); the body mass index, airflow obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity (BODE) index; a spirometry; the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) dyspnea scale; and the 6-min walking test (6MWT), specialists imparted 1-hour education to patients regarding unsupervised HBPR at the baseline visit. This included methods for breathing, inhaler use, stretching, and exercise. On reviewing diaries after 8 weeks from the first visit, patients who exercised at least thrice per week were classified as the compliant group and the others were categorized as the noncompliant group. Changes in the outcomes were compared between the compliant and noncompliant groups. Results: A total of 41 patients were enrolled in this study; for 8 weeks of unsupervised HBPR, there were significant improvements in CAT scores (-4.62±4.61 vs 2.40±6.73; P=0.002), BODE index (-1.00±1.06 vs -0.20±0.56; P=0.01), and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (0.05±0.19 vs -0.09±0.16; P=0.02) among patients in the compliant group, compared with the noncompliant group. Moreover, their CAT (16.46±7.80 vs 11.85±7.23; P=0.03) and mMRC scores (2.54±0.76 vs 1.81±0.63; P=0.001) improved significantly after 8 weeks, compared with those at baseline. On the other hand, patients in the noncompliant group showed no significant improvement in any of the outcomes. Conclusion: In this study, compliant patients with unsupervised HBPR achieved favorable outcomes in 8 weeks. Thus, we recommend unsupervised HBPR for patients with COPD, even when regular hospital visits for PR are not possible. Trial Registration: NCT03754881.
