Pulmonary Rehabilitation Once a Week for One Year in a Patient With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) has been shown to alleviate dyspnea, increase exercise capacity, and improve quality of life in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, such PR programs have focused on short-term effects. Thus, this study aimed to report our experience with a COPD patient who underwent PR once a week for one year. An 84-year-old male with stage II COPD, which was classified by the Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease, presented symptoms of dyspnea while walking. The patient underwent PR once a week for one year, which included exercise training, self-management support, instructions on breathing during exertion, and respiratory muscle stretching. Before and after PR, we assessed the patient's physical function, dyspnea, and quality of life. For one year, no adverse events were recorded. We observed that the patient's physical function, dyspnea, and quality of life improved over time. In particular, his six-minute walking distance (6MWD) reached the minimal clinically important difference at three months and the predictive value of 6MWD for healthy adults at six months. The present case showed that a PR program conducted once a week for one year might be feasible and effective.