Effects of oxygen on exercise duration in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients before and after pulmonary rehabilitation.
BACKGROUND
Supplemental oxygen therapy has been shown to improve exercise performance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is unknown whether the magnitude of this benefit would be affected by participation in a pulmonary rehabilitation program.


OBJECTIVE
To compare the effects of supplemental oxygen on exercise capacity in nonhypoxemic COPD patients before and after participation in a pulmonary rehabilitation program.


METHODS
Sixteen patients with COPD underwent two pairs of constant-load exercise tests before and after participation in a three-month outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program. Each pair of exercise tests consisted of a test performed with room air and a second test performed with 50% supplemental oxygen, in random order. The primary outcome was the difference in exercise duration between tests performed with supplemental oxygen and with room air. This difference was compared before and after participation in a pulmonary rehabilitation program.


RESULTS
Supplemental oxygen therapy improved exercise duration by 75 s before participation in a pulmonary rehabilitation program and by 153 s following pulmonary rehabilitation. Rehabilitation alone improved exercise duration by 28 s, but rehabilitation appeared to augment the exercise benefits of supplemental oxygen therapy by a mean of 78 s (95% CI 11 s to 145 s; P = 0.03).


CONCLUSIONS
The effects of supplemental oxygen therapy were augmented after pulmonary rehabilitation. The improvement in exercise duration with supplemental oxygen following rehabilitation was greater than either supplemental oxygen or pulmonary rehabilitation alone.
Voduc
Nha
N
Division of Respirology, Ottawa Hospital, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. nvoduc@ottawahospital.on.ca
Tessier
Caroline
C
Sabri
Elham
E
Fergusson
Dean
D
Lavallee
Lyne
L
Aaron
Shawn D
SD
D000368:Aged; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010100:Oxygen / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000628:therapy; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D010100:Oxygen