Outpatient and Home Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program Post COVID-19: A study protocol for clinical trial

BackgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a widespread, highly contagious inflammatory process that causes respiratory, physical and psychological dysfunction. COVID-19 mainly affects the respiratory system and evolves in the acute phase from mild cases with common symptoms, such as fever, cough, and fatigue, to the moderate-to-severe form, causing massive alveolar damage resulting in dyspnea and hypoxemia that can rapidly progress to pneumonia, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. The acute form usually causes severe pulmonary sequelae such as pulmonary fibrosis or progression to organ failure, leading to worsening metabolic dysfunction and/or death. PurposeTo verify the effects of an outpatient and home pulmonary rehabilitation program (PRP) on clinical symptoms, pulmonary function, physical activity level, functional status, autonomic activity, peripheral muscle strength, static and functional balance, functional mobility, anxiety and depression, post-traumatic stress, health-related quality of life, and survival of patients with sequelae from COVID-19. MethodsThis study will be a cohort, parallel, two-arm multicentric study, to be carried out in three clinical centers, with blind evaluation, with 06 weeks of training and follow-up. This study was designed according to the recommendations of the CONSORT statement. To be involved in this clinical study, according to the inclusion criteria, women and men aged between 16 and 75 years affected by COVID-19. The proposed PRP is based on the guidelines recommended by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease and, consists of a combination of aerobic and muscle strengthening exercises, lasting six weeks, with a frequency of three times a week. DiscussionIn patients infected with COVID-19 with persistent symptoms and sequelae, PRP mainly seeks to improve dyspnea, relieve anxiety and depression, prevent, and reduce complications and/or dysfunctions, reduce morbidity and mortality, and improve health-related quality of life. Trial registrationThis study was registered at clinicaltrials.gov (ID: COVID-19 PULMONARY REHAB NCT04982042).