Effect of short-term hospitalization on functional capacity in patients not restricted to bed

It has been suggested that long-term bed rest induces significant changes in most organ systems. However, few studies have focused on the effect of short-term hospitalization. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of short-term hospitalization on functional capacity in patients not restricted to bed.

We evaluated 78 patients before and after a 5-day hospitalization.

The following differences were observed between pre- and post-hospitalization outcomes: upper-limb muscle strength, 30 +/- 7.9 vs. 28.4 +/- 7.7 kg (P < 0.001); maximal inspiratory pressure, -83.3 +/- 25.0 vs. -70.9 +/- 23.1 cm H2O (P < 0.001); distance covered in the 6-min walk test, 476.2 +/- 93.1 vs. 437.7 +/- 89.5 m (P < 0.001); forced vital capacity, 3.25 +/- 0.95 vs. 2.95 +/- 0.93 liters (P < 0.001); spinal mobility, 4.3 +/- 0.9 vs. 3.7 +/- 0.9 cm (P < 0.001); and trunk mobility, 8.1 +/- 1.9 vs. 7.3 +/- 1.6 cm (P < 0.001). None of the anthropometric or clinical data collected at admission were predictive of these losses.

Our results suggest that short-term hospitalization reduces functional capacity, even in patients who are not restricted to bed, regardless of age or initial functional status.