Long-Term Decreased Exercise Capacity of COVID-19 Patients Who Received Mechanical Ventilation in Japan: A Case Series.

ABSTRACT: The long-term exercise capacity of coronavirus disease 2019 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome is not clear. The 6-min walking distance of four patients with coronavirus disease 2019-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome was followed for 6 mos after admission to the hospital. These four patients were admitted to the intensive care unit of our hospital and received mechanical ventilation. Rehabilitation therapy (positioning, postural drainage, and passive range-of-motion exercises) was started after intensive care unit admission. Mobilization therapy, including muscle power training, sitting on the edge of the bed, and endurance training, was performed after the end of sedation. The Medical Research Council sum scores and Barthel Indexes for the patients improved after intensive care unit discharge and completely recovered 6 mos after admission to the hospital. However, the 6-min walking distance of the four patients remained shorter than those of healthy persons of the same age at 6 mos after admission to the hospital. Furthermore, the minimum Spo2 during the 6-min walking test remained less than 96%. It is possible that patients who receive mechanical ventilation due to coronavirus disease 2019-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome have decreased long-term exercise capacity, despite muscle power and activities of daily living recovering completely.

Rehabilitation Therapy for a COVID-19 Patient Who Received Mechanical Ventilation in Japan.

A 65-yr-old man visited a primary care hospital with a continued fever of 38°C for 3 days. As his fever did not improve until 8 days after, he was admitted into another acute care hospital, where his respiratory condition rapidly worsened. Therefore, the patient was transferred to our hospital. On the day of transfer (day 1), he was started on mechanical ventilation. COVID-19 was diagnosed using a polymerase chain reaction assay 6 days after admission (day 6). The rehabilitation therapy was begun on day 6. The initial rehabilitation programs focused on positioning and postural drainage. The patient was extubated on day 19, and he began standing and stepping on the same day. Gait exercises began on day 22, and endurance training was initiated on day 28. The patient was discharged from our hospital on day 34 as he met the physical function milestones. One month after discharge, the Medical Research Council sum score and Barthel Index had each improved; therefore, muscle strength and daily activities had returned to normal. It was assumed that mobilization should be performed as soon as possible after the end of sedation during the acute phase of severe COVID-19 infection in patients receiving mechanical ventilation.