Elena Venturelli

Rehabilitation, weaning and physical therapy strategies in chronic critically ill patients

In critically ill patients, a prolonged hospital stay, due to the initial acute insult and adverse side-effects of drug therapy, may cause severe late complications, such as muscle weakness, prolonged symptoms, mood alterations and poor health-related quality of life. The clinical aims of physical rehabilitation in both medical and surgical intensive care units (ICUs) are focussed on the patient to improve their short- and even long-term care. The purpose of this article is to review the currently available evidence on comprehensive rehabilitation programmes in critically ill patients, and describe the key components and techniques used, particularly in specialised ICUs. Despite the literature suggesting that several techniques have led to beneficial effects and that muscle training is associated with weaning success, scientific evidence is limited. Due to limitations in undertaking comparative studies in ICUs, further studies with solid clinical short- and long-term outcome measures are now welcomed.

Efficacy of temporary positive expiratory pressure (TPEP) in patients with lung diseases and chronic mucus hypersecretion. The UNIKO® project: a multicentre randomized controlled trial:

Objective: To evaluate whether temporary positive expiratory pressure provides benefit in patients with lung diseases and chronic hypersecretion. Design: Single blind multicentre randomized trial. Setting: Five Italian rehabilitation centres. Participants: Ninety-eight patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and/or chronic bronchitis (n=78), or bronchiectasis (n=20), with a peak cough expiratory flow >150 l/min and sputum production >30 ml/day, randomly included into two treatment groups. Interventions: For 10 consecutive days, the active group performed twice a day 20-minute cycles of manually assisted breathing techniques in sequence with the addition of 15 minutes of temporary positive expiratory pressure, while the control group was treated by manually assisted breathing techniques alone. Measures: Within and between group changes of arterial oxygenation index, lung volumes and respiratory muscles strength were recorded at enrolment and after 3 and 10 treatment sessions. Pre-to-post treatment change of sputum volume and bronchial encumbrance (Δ-visual analog scale), sputum density and purulence were compared daily within the study period. Results: No significant changes were recorded for the oxygenation index, while dynamic lung volumes and respiratory muscle strength significantly (P <0.05) improved in the active group. The group comparison analysis of the pre-to-post change showed that inspiratory capacity was significantly higher in the active than in the control group (+19.5% and +2.2%, P=0.044) at day 10. A greater improvement in Δ-visual analog scale was recorded in the active group at day 3 and 8. Conclusions: These preliminary data suggest that temporary positive expiratory pressure improves lung volumes and speeds up the improvement of bronchial encumbrance in patients with lung diseases and hypersecretion.

Predicting Walking-Induced Oxygen Desaturations in COPD Patients: A Statistical Model

BACKGROUND: Oxygen desaturation during walking can have important consequence on prognosis of COPD patients. However, a standard 6-min walk test (6MWT), useful in detecting desaturation in COPD patients, can be difficult to execute in some settings of COPD management, as in the community healthcare service. We evaluated a new scoring system for the risk of oxygen desaturation during walking in COPD patients: the walking desaturation score. METHODS: We collected data from symptomatic COPD in-patients admitted for rehabilitation (derivation cohort) and out-patients referred to the local community health service (validation cohort). SpO2 was monitored during 6MWT, and the subjects were classified as walking desaturators or non-desaturators. By a regression analysis model we assigned a weighted score proportional to the measured percentage of explained variance for each variable. Risk estimates were computed as odds ratios. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and a Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test were then performed to measure discrimination and calibration of walking desaturation score. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics in the derivation cohort (n = 435, 74% of whom were walking desaturators) and the validation cohort (n = 238, 37% of whom were walking desaturators) were different. Resting arterial oxygen saturation measured from an arterial blood sample, PaO2, and percent-of-predicted FEV1 were the variables that predicted walking desaturation. The proportion of walking desaturators (and odds ratio estimate) gradually increased according to walking desaturation score (range 0–6) and associated categories of desaturation risk (total walking desaturation score: low 0 or 1, high 2–3, very high 4–6) (chi-square P < .001). There was considerable predictive discrimination (area under the curve 0.90, 95% CI 0.86–0.93, P < .001), and calibration (Hosmer-Lemeshow chi-square 1.31, P = .86) values have been shown. CONCLUSIONS: Walking desaturation score accurately predicts and classifies the risk of walking desaturation in COPD patients. ClinicalTrials.gov Number NCT01303913.

A prospective multicentric study of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and different clinical phenotypes.

Background: Recently, it has been proposed that different clinical phenotypes can be recognized in patients with chronic obstructive disease (COPD), namely predominant airway disease or parenchymal destructive changes. Objectives: The aim of this prospective multicenter study was to evaluate whether these two phenotypes may influence outcomes following a pulmonary rehabilitation program (PRP). Methods: We have prospectively evaluated 364 consecutive COPD patients (70 ± 8 years, 76.3% males) admitted to a standard hospital-based PRP in 6 Italian centers. According to their phenotype, the study cohort was divided into two groups: patients with airway obstructive (group 1, n = 208) or parenchymal destructive COPD (group 2, n = 156). Before and after PRP, values of 6-min walking distance, perceived breathlessness (Medical Research Council), health-related quality of life (St. Georges Respiratory Questionnaire) and respiratory muscle function (maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure) were recorded. Results: PRP resulted in significant improvements in all outcome measures without any significant differences between groups. Conclusions: Our study confirms that COPD patients may benefit from pulmonary rehabilitation independent of their clinical phenotype.

Respiratory muscle training in patients recovering recent open cardiothoracic surgery: a randomized-controlled trial.

Objectives. To evaluate the clinical efficacy and feasibility of an expiratory muscle training (EMT) device (Respilift) applied to patients recovering from recent open cardiothoracic surgery (CTS). Design. Prospective, double-blind, 14-day randomised-controlled trial. Participants and Setting. A total of 60 inpatients recovering from recent CTS and early admitted to a pulmonary rehabilitation program. Interventions. Chest physiotherapy plus EMT with a resistive load of 30 cm H2O for active group and chest physiotherapy plus EMT with a sham load for control group. Measures. Changes in maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) were considered as primary outcome, while maximal inspiratory pressures (MIP), dynamic and static lung volumes, oxygenation, perceived symptoms of dyspnoea, thoracic pain, and well being (evaluated by visual analogic scale—VAS) and general health status were considered secondary outcomes. Results. All outcomes recorded showed significant improvements in both groups; however, the change of MEP (+34.2 mmHg, P < 0.001 and +26.1%, P < 0.001 for absolute and % of predicted, resp.) was significantly higher in active group. Also VAS dyspnoea improved faster and more significantly (P < 0.05) at day 12, and 14 in active group when compared with control. The drop-out rate was 6%, without differences between groups. Conclusions. In patients recovering from recent CTS, specific EMT by Respilift is feasible and effective. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01510275.