Effects of an Exercise Intervention in Frail Older Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Hospitalized due to an Exacerbation: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ABSTRACT

The objective of this study was to determine whether an exercise intervention using a pedal exerciser is able to reduce disability in frail older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) during hospitalization due to an acute exacerbation.

This study was a randomized, single-blind clinical trial. Fifty-eight frail older patients admitted to hospital due to an acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) were included in this study. All patients received standard medical and pharmacological care. Patients assigned to the intervention group also received an exercise intervention. The main outcome measures were balance, muscle strength, and exercise capacity.

Significant between-group differences were found in muscle strength (p = 0.028) and balance (p = 0.013) after the intervention. All the variables improved significantly (p < 0.05) in the exercise intervention group. In the intervention group, the mean difference in muscle strength between baseline and discharge was 10.47 N. Balance also improved, showing a mean difference of 7.56 seconds on the right leg and 6.57 seconds on the left leg. Exercise capacity improved as well, with a difference of 4.97 stands between baseline and discharge. All the variables showed impairment in the control group.

In conclusion, an exercise intervention using a pedal exerciser during the hospital stay of frail elderly patients with an AECOPD improves muscle strength, balance, and exercise capacity.

KEYWORDS:

• Disability
• elderly
• frailty
• hospitalization

Conflict of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest.

Funding

This work is part of a doctoral dissertation (ITS) in the framework of the PhD Program on Clinical Medicine and Public Health of the University of Granada. The authors received financial support from the Professional Association of Physiotherapists of Andalusia, Spain (Colegio Profesional de Fisioterapeutas de Andalucía) [number SG/0300/13CO] from the Spanish Society of Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery (SEPAR, Sociedad Española de Neumología y Cirugía Torácica) and the Spanish Lung Foundation (Fundación Respira): [Beca Becario SEPAR 2013, Proyecto 061/2013]; from the University of Granada (Beca-Contrato FPU 2014. Plan propio de investigación. Universidad de Granada) and financed jointly by Fundación Progreso y Salud and Boehringer Ingelheim España, SA. Project code: PI-0370-2014.

Clinical trial registration

This study has been registered in clinicaltrials.gov with the reference number NCT01826682.