Pulmonary Rehabilitation Outcomes after Single or Double Lung Transplantation in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or Interstitial Lung Disease.

BACKGROUND

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) following lung transplantation (LTx) has been shown to be effective with regard to exercise capacity and health-related quality of life (HRQL). However, outcome data is limited with respect to LTx as a population. Differences concerning the effects of PR in patients with single LTx (SLTx) or double LTx (DLTx) have not been studied yet.

OBJECTIVES

The aim was to compare possible differences concerning PR outcomes between SLTx and DLTx.

METHODS

In a retrospective analysis (period: 1997-2016), data from 722 patients with either chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD; SLTx: n = 129, FEV1 51 ± 17% pred.; DLTx: n = 204, FEV1 74 ± 20% pred.) or interstitial lung disease (ILD; SLTx: n = 135, FVC 58 ± 18% pred.; DLTx: n = 254, FVC 63 ± 18% pred.) after LTx were included. All patients underwent a specialized inpatient PR program. The data of the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) and HRQL (physical [PCS] and mental [MCS] component summary of the SF- 36 questionnaire) were analyzed.

RESULTS

Independently from the procedure and pretransplant diagnosis, patients significantly (p < 0.05) improved the 6MWD without any differences between SLTx and DLTx (COPD: SLTx: +109 ± 68 m, DLTx: +117 ± 82 m; ILD: SLTx: +115 ± 80 m, DLTx: +132 ± 77 m). The PCS (COPD: SLTx: +9 ± 9 points, DLTx: +7 ± 9 points; ILD: SLTx: +6 ± 9 points, DLTx: +9 ± 9 points) and MCS (COPD: SLTx: +8 ± 15 points, DLTx: +7 ± 15 points; ILD: SLTx: +10 ± 13 points, DLTx: +8 ± 12 points) also improved significantly without any group differences.

CONCLUSIONS

LTx patients with a pretransplant diagnosis of COPD or ILD all benefitted significantly and with clinical relevance with regard to exercise capacity and HRQL from an inpatient PR performed within 1 year postoperatively. PR outcomes were similar regardless of SLTx or DLTx.