Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-Evolving Concepts in Treatment: Advances in Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Over the past three decades, pulmonary rehabilitation has risen to the stature as a gold standard for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This rise is owing to both the development of science explaining mechanisms underlying its effectiveness and the demonstration of its substantial benefits across multiple outcome areas of importance to patients. Arguably, pulmonary rehabilitation provides the greatest improvements of any therapy in the areas of dyspnea-relief, exercise performance, and functional and health status. Emerging science also indicates that it reduces subsequent health care utilization and-when administered in the perihospital period-mortality risk. These beneficial effects are realized despite the fact that pulmonary rehabilitation has virtually no direct effect on lung function in COPD. Instead, this comprehensive, patient-centered intervention reduces the negative effects from systemic morbidity (such as muscle wasting) and comorbidity (such as depression and anxiety) that frequently accompany COPD. Two major components of pulmonary rehabilitation are exercise training and behavioral interventions. An example of the latter is a collaborative action plan for the early recognition and prompt treatment of the COPD exacerbation. Innovation in pulmonary rehabilitation includes (1) expanding its applicability, such as demonstrating effectiveness in the non-COPD respiratory patient, in milder COPD, in the periexacerbation period, and its provision in the home and community settings; (2) improving its process, such as refining the self-management and behavioral interventions, and the promotion of physical activity in the home and community settings; and (3) promoting its accessibility, such as exploring its potential usefulness in nontraditional settings (the home and community) and developing technology to assist in its implementation.