Effectiveness of high-intensity interval training in rehabilitation nursing for mild-to-moderate stable COPD...

The current study was conducted to explore the clinical impact of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) in rehabilitation nursing on improving cardiopulmonary function and exercise capacity in COPD patients.

A total of thirty-one COPD patients underwent HIIT, while an equal number underwent moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) were included in this randomized controlled clinical study. The randomization method used was stratified block randomization, stratified by center. During the 6 months follow-up period, the clinical data, including cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) results, cardiopulmonary function index, quality of life, and follow-up outcomes, were collected before and after the interventions. The therapeutic effects of the two groups were compared.

After the intervention, the HIIT group exhibited significantly higher peak power, exercise test duration, anaerobic threshold, peak oxygen uptake, peak ventilation, FEV1/FVC ratio, FEV1% of expected value, LVEF (%), and SF-36 scores compared to the MICT group (P < 0.05). Moreover, LVEDD was significantly lower in the HIIT group compared to the MICT group (P < 0.05). At the 6-month follow-up, the incidence of COPD acute exacerbation in the HIIT group was significantly lower than in the MICT group (P < 0.05).

Implementation of HIIT in rehabilitation nursing effectively improved cardiopulmonary function and exercise capacity in COPD patients during clinical treatment, highlighting its promising application potential.

This study was previously registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Date 11/05/2022 Number ChiCTR2200059764).