Efeitos da reabilitação pulmonar domiciliar em pacientes portadores de doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica

Abstract

The COPD patients show a global physical deconditionement due to a progressive declination of their pulmonary function bring on by the syntomatology. The Pulmonary Rehabilitation is worldwide used as a therapeutic alternative in the treatment of pulmonary disease, and its effectiveness is widely documented in the literature. The Home Pulmonary Rehabilitation has a appeared as a way to promote the benefits of the PR in long- term in a more convenient familiar context to the patient and his/her family. This study has as objective to analyze the effectiveness of the HPR program in the maintenance of the benefits reached in the outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation program in carriers of chronic pulmonary disease. The population sample studied was of 14 patients refered to the PR program of Brasília´s University Hospital (HuB) and Brasília´s Catholic University (UCB) from august 2002 to may 2003. The patients were submitted to spirometry, gasometry and physical examination to evaluet the functional capacity through maximal load tests to the arms and six minute walk test, measurement of the ventilatory muscular strength thourgh Pimáx and Pe máx, and the degree of respiratory and muscular effort from the Borg´s Scale. The HPR program proposed, has the duration of six weeks with assessments in the 3rd and 6th weeks. The results were showm in mean and standard deviation values and compared by the Student´s t test, considering results with p< 0,05 statistically significant. To the studied sample it was observed there was no statistically alteration of the physical and functional parameters, being in agree with the maintenance of the results expected by PR.