Innovating pulmonary rehabilitation for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

International Conference and Exhibition on Lung Disorders & Therapeutics

July 13-15, 2015 Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Lorna Ng

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Pulm Respir Med

Abstract :

Studies have shown that pulmonary rehabilitation and Tai Chi are beneficial to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is a major public health problem. Long term effectiveness of exercise interventions at completion of formal pulmonary rehabilitation requires exercise adherence. Tai Chi has also been shown to have proven benefits in improving exercise capacity, physiological status, quality of life health related status, self-efficacy and associated with higher compliance to exercise in COPD patients. The author hypothesized that innovating pulmonary rehabilitation by incorporating Tai Chi elements in the exercise component could have complementary benefits. A single-blind randomized controlled study was conducted from March 2011 to May 2012 with a total of 192 COPD patients recruited from four primary care clinics in Hong Kong. They satisfied the eligibility criteria and consented to randomization to either pulmonary rehabilitation program group (PRP) or the group with Tai Chi elements added to PRP (TC). Both groups received rehabilitation consisting of 2 sessions per week for 6 weeks with totally identical content except that Tai Chi exercises were added to TC group. Data collection was performed at baseline, 2 and 6-month post-intervention. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed for 192 subjects. Both groups did not differ in demographics and baseline variables except for COPD staging, mean FEV1, FEV1%-Pred, Saint George Respiratory Questionnaire SGRQ activity score and COPD-CSES self-efficacy score. Statistical improvements were seen in exercise capacity, health status and self-efficacy within both groups at 6-month post-intervention. Although more favorable improvements in physiological outcomes and health status were demonstrated in Tai Chi group, only the functional exercise capacity showed statistical improvement between groups at 6 months post-intervention (β=12.786 meters ; 95% CI=3.794, 21.777; p=0.006). The adjuvant effect of incorporating Tai Chi in pulmonary rehabilitation showed a modest complementary benefit in exercise capacity.