Home monitoring of lung function, symptoms and quality of life after admission with COVID-19 infection: The HOMECOMIN' study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To develop targeted and efficient follow-up programmes for patients hospitalized with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), structured and detailed insights in recovery trajectory are required. We aimed to gain detailed insights in long-term recovery after COVID-19 infection, using an online home monitoring programme including home spirometry. Moreover, we evaluated patient experiences with the home monitoring programme. METHODS: In this prospective multicentre study, we included adults hospitalized due to COVID-19 with radiological abnormalities. For 6 months after discharge, patients collected weekly home spirometry and pulse oximetry measurements, and reported visual analogue scales on cough, dyspnoea and fatigue. Patients completed the fatigue assessment scale (FAS), global rating of change (GRC), EuroQol-5D-5L (EQ-5D-5L) and online tool for the assessment of burden of COVID-19 (ABCoV tool). Mixed models were used to analyse the results. RESULTS: A total of 133 patients were included in this study (70.1% male, mean age 60 years [SD 10.54]). Patients had a mean baseline forced vital capacity of 3.25 L (95% CI: 2.99-3.44 L), which increased linearly in 6 months with 19.1% (Δ0.62 L, p < 0.005). Patients reported substantial fatigue with no improvement over time. Nevertheless, health status improved significantly. After 6 months, patients scored their general well-being almost similar as before COVID-19. Overall, patients considered home spirometry useful and not burdensome. CONCLUSION: Six months after hospital admission for COVID-19, patients' lung function and quality of life were still improving, although fatigue persisted. Home monitoring enables detailed follow-up for patients with COVID-19 at low burden for patients and for the healthcare system.

Prediction of lung function and lung density of young adults who had bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

COPD risk is jointly determined by fetal lung development, lung growth rate and lung growth duration leading to the maximally attained level of lung function in early adulthood. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is considered a developmental arrest of alveolarisation. Long-term outcome studies of adult survivors born before the introduction of surfactant therapy ("old BPD") showed impaired lung function. We aimed to predict adult lung function and lung density in a cohort of premature infants born in the surfactant era, representing "new BPD". We studied a cohort of young adults born between 1987 and 1998, with (n=36) and without (n=28) BPD, treated in a single centre. Their perinatal characteristics and pulmonary function in infancy were studied by regression analysis for correlation with adult lung function and tissue lung density, all expressed by z-scores, at a mean age of 19.7±1.1 and 21±2.2 years, respectively. Although BPD adults had on average lower forced expiratory volume in 1 s (zFEV1)/forced vital capacity (FVC) and zFEV1 than those without, 55% of the BPD group had zFEV1/FVC values above the lower limit of normal (LLN). Moreover, above LLN values of diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (zD LCO) was present in 89% of BPD adults and lung density in 71%. Only higher oxygen supply (F IO2) at 36 weeks post-conception of BPD subjects had a trend with lower zFEV1 (B=-6.4; p=0.053) and lower zD LCO (B=-4.1; p=0.023) at adulthood. No statistically significant predictors of new BPD were identified.