Table 1. Demographic characteristics at baseline, together with BMI, spirometry parameters, and lung volumes, as well as exercise performance values (for an incremental exercise test on a cycle ergometer and for the six-minute walk test), before and after pulmonary rehabilitation, in patients with COPD (n = 22).a .
| Variable | Pre-PR | Post-PR | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, years | 65.9 ± 7.1 | ||
| Male gender, n (%) | 15 (68.2) | ||
| BMI, kg/m2 | 24.4 ± 5.9 | 24.7 ± 5.7 | 0.21 |
| FEV1 | |||
| L | 1.00 ± 0.26 | 1.01 ± 0.33 | 0.77 |
| % of the predicted value | 37.1 ± 11.8 | 2.53 ± 0.79 | 0.72 |
| FVC | |||
| L | 2.49 ± 0.68 | 2.53 ± 0.79 | 0.67 |
| % of the predicted value | 66.2 ± 13.5 | 67.3 ± 15.6 | 0.71 |
| FEV1/FVC ratio, % | 42.5 ± 11.8 | 41.5 ± 10.0 | 0.39 |
| IC | |||
| L | 1.74 ± 0.54 | 1.79 ± 0.51 | 0.45 |
| % of the predicted value | 64.2 ± 16.0 | 66.2 ± 16.4 | 0.32 |
| FRC | |||
| L | 6.29 ± 2.10 | 6.10 ± 1.64 | 0.55 |
| % of the predicted value | 189.2 ± 46.3 | 184.2 ± 38.1 | 0.57 |
| TLC | |||
| L | 8.07 ± 2.28 | 7.84 ± 1.75 | 0.49 |
| % of the predicted value | 128.9 ± 23.4 | 125.7 ± 17.7 | 0.51 |
| RV | |||
| L | 5.35 ± 1.91 | 5.18 ± 1.45 | 0.62 |
| % of the predicted value | 239.8 ± 69.4 | 233.9 ± 59.1 | 0.68 |
| RV/TLC ratio | 0.65 ± 0.07 | 0.65 ± 0.07 | 0.92 |
| Peak incremental exercise values | |||
| Workload | |||
| W | 33 ± 21 | 39 ± 20 | 0.02 |
| % of the predicted value | 23.3 ± 13.7 | 29.0 ± 13.2 | 0.01 |
| VO2 | |||
| L/min | 0.74 ± 0.18 | 0.72 ± 0.20 | 0.43 |
| % of the predicted value | 44.7 ± 16.6 | 42.6 ± 14.4 | 0.23 |
| VCO2, L/min | 0.77 ± 0.22 | 0.73 ± 0.25 | 0.15 |
| VE, L/min | 32.8 ± 7.2 | 31.1 ± 9.4 | 0.07 |
| VE/MVV ratio, % | 88.2 ± 20.1 | 83.2 ± 23.5 | 0.04 |
| VT, L | 1.03 ± 0.31 | 1.00 ± 0.35 | 0.34 |
| RR, breaths/min | 31 ± 6 | 30 ± 5 | 0.7 |
| TI, s | 0.81 ± 0.19 | 0.81 ± 0.18 | 0.9 |
| TE, s | 1.25 ± 0.24 | 1.26 ± 0.28 | 0.9 |
| TI/Ttot ratio, % | 39.2 ± 4.6 | 39.2 ± 5.2 | 0.9 |
| SpO2, % | 92 ± 2 | 94 ± 8 | 0.3 |
| Post-6MWT values | |||
| 6MWD | |||
| m, median (range) | 305 (170-425) | 330 (230-490) | 0.001 |
| % of the predicted value | 28.7 ± 6.8 | 33.3 ± 8.0 | 0.001 |
| Borg dyspnea score | 3 (1.3) | 3 (4.6) | 0.8 |
| Borg leg fatigue score | 2 (3.0) | 1 (4.1) | 0.7 |
| SpO2, % | 92 ± 2 | 92 ± 2 | 0.003 |
PR: pulmonary rehabilitation; IC: inspiratory capacity; FRC: functional residual capacity; TLC: total lung capacity; RV: residual volume; VO2: oxygen consumption; VCO2: carbon dioxide production; VE: minute ventilation; MVV: maximal voluntary ventilation; VT: tidal volume; RR: respiratory rate; TI: inspiratory time, TE: expiratory time; Ttot: total respiratory time; 6MWT: six-minute walk test; and 6MWD: six-minute walk distance. aValues expressed as mean ± SD, except where otherwise indicated.