Pulmonary rehabilitation for critically ill elderly patients with COVID-19 in Thailand: Two case reports

Thitapa  Issaragraisin; Jirapa  Champaiboon

Authors

Thitapa Issaragraisin King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand
Jirapa Champaiboon Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, Bangkok, Thailand

Keywords:

Case report, COVID-19, physical therapy

Abstract

Many patients exposed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were likely to have complications during their recovery. Critical illness elderly patients with COVID-19 experienced more complications in various systems such as neurological, cardiovascular, mental health, and general deconditioning. There are few publications that mention the impairments of critical illness survivors. Regarding to the limited research evidences we have, this made the physical therapy role challenging. However, we suggest that the physical therapy needs to be fast and more intensive for critical illness in elderly patients with COVID-19. The first case was an old Thai woman presented with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. The other was an old Thai man presented with COVID-19 with complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome, hyperglycemia, thrombocytopenia, right tension pneumothorax with recurrent pneumothorax, and monoparesis. These two cases presented the experiences and role of physical therapy for critically ill elderly patients with impairments from COVID-19.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Schaan CW, Vieira V de S, Miller C, Peiter APD, Piccoli T, Cavion G, et al. Hospital physical therapy management in pediatric patients with COVID-19: Case reports. Rev Paul Pediatr 2021;39:e2020238

https://doi.org/10.1590/1984-0462/2021/39/2020238

Núñez-Cortès R, Rivera-Lillo G, Arias-Campoverde M, Soto-García D, Elsevier BV, García-Palomera R, TorresCastro R. Use of sit-to-stand test to assess the physical capacity and exertional desaturation in patients post COVID-19. Chron Respir Dis 2021;18: 1479973121999-205.

https://doi.org/10.1177/1479973121999205

Battaglini D, Robba C, Caiffa S, Ball L, Brunetti I, Loconte M, et al. Chest physiotherapy: An important adjuvant in critically ill mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2020;282:103529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resp.2020.103529

Rooney S, Webster A, Paul L. Systematic review of changes and recovery in physical function and fitness after severe acute respiratory syndrome - related coronavirus infection: implications for COVID-19 rehabilitation. Phys Ther 2020;100:1717-29. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzaa129

Curci C, Pisano F, Bonacci E, Camozzi DM, Ceravolo C, Bergonzi R, et al. Early rehabilitation in post-acute COVID-19 patients: Data from an Italian COVID-19 rehabilitation unit and proposal of a treatment protocol. European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine . Eur J Phys Rehabil Med 2020;56:633-641. https://doi.org/10.23736/S1973-9087.20.06339-X

Demeco A, Marotta N, Barletta M, Pino I, Marinaro C, Petraroli A, et al. Rehabilitation of patients post COVID-19 infection: a literature review. J Int Med Res 2020;48:030006052094838.

https://doi.org/10.1177/0300060520948382

Ramalingam MB, Huang Y, Lim PAC. Rehabilitation of a post - intensive care unit patient after severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2020;99:1092-5.

https://doi.org/10.1097/PHM.0000000000001606

Worldometer [Internet]. Total Coronavirus Cases in Thailand; 2022 [cited 2022 May 02]; Available from https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/thailand/

Lotfi M, Hamblin MR, Rezaei N. COVID-19: Transmission, prevention, and potential therapeutic opportunities. Clin Chim Acta 2020;508:254-66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cca.2020.05.044

Korupolu R, Francisco GE, Levin H, Needham DM, Rehabilitation of critically Ill COVID-19 survivors. J Int Soc Phys Rehabil Med 2020;3:45-52. https://doi.org/10.4103/jisprm.jisprm_8_20

Eggmann S, Kindler A, Perren A, Ott N, Johannes F, Vollenweider R, Balma T, et al. Early physical therapist interventions for patients with COVID-19 in the acute care Hospital: A case report series. Phys Ther 2020:19;101:pzaa194. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzaa194

Zhu Y, Wang Z, Zhou Y, Onoda K, Maruyama H, Hu C, et al. Summary of respiratory rehabilitation and physical therapy guidelines for patients with COVID-19 based on recommendations of World Confederation for Physical Therapy and National Association of Physical Therapy. J Phys Ther Sci 2020;32:545-9. https://doi.org/10.1589/jpts.32.545

Torres-Castro R, Vasconcello-Castillo L, AlsinaRestoy X, Solis-Navarro L, Burgos F, Puppo H, et al. Respiratory function in patients post-infection by COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Pulmonology 2021;27:328-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pulmoe.2020.10.013

Kiekens C, Boldrini P, Andreoli A, Avesani R, Gamna F, Grandi M, et al. Rehabilitation and respiratory management in the acute and early post-acute phase. "Instant paper from the field" on rehabilitation answers to the COVID-19 emergency. Eur J Phys Rehabil Med 2020;56: 323-326.

https://doi.org/10.23736/S1973-9087.20.06305-4

Thornton J. Covid-19: the challenge of patient rehabilitation after intensive care. BMJ 2020;369;m1787.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.m1787

Al Chikhanie Y, Veale D, Schoeffler M, Pèpin JL, Verges S, Hérengt F. Effectiveness of pulmonary rehabilitation in COVID-19 respiratory failure patients post - ICU. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2021;287:103639. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resp.2021.103639

Johnson JK, Lapin B, Green K, Stilphen M. Frequency of physical therapist intervention is associated with mobility status and disposition at Hospital discharge for patients with COVID-19. Phys Ther 2020:101;pzaa181. https://doi.org/10.1093/ptj/pzaa181

Goodwin VA, Allan L, Bethel A, Cowley A, Cross JL, Day J, et al. Rehabilitation to enable recovery from COVID-19: A rapid systematic review. Physiotherapy 2021;111:4-22.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2021.01.007