Acute respiratory infections are the fourth cause of hospitalization in elderly. Various studies have examined the impact of hospitalization in patients with respiratory pathology, showing the need of interventions in order to reduce the impact of hospitalization. The objective of this study is to examine whether a physical therapy intervention can reduce impairment in patients hospitalized due to pneumonia.
Acute respiratory infections are the fourth cause of hospitalization in elderly. Hospital admissions due to pneumonia range from the 1.1 and 4 per 1,000 patients, increasing with age. Hospitalization causes a decline in physical and functional status. Physical impairment involves a higher risk of disability and mortality in elderly people. Various studies have examined the impact of hospitalization in patients with respiratory pathology, and it has been shown that hospitalization implies a significant physical impairment in patients admitted for pneumonia showing that this deterioration increases with age. That highlights the need of interventions in order to reduce the impact of hospitalization. The objective of this study is to examine whether a physical therapy intervention can reduce impairment in patients hospitalized due to pneumonia.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
60
Second- or third-generation cephalosporin (cefuroxime, cefotaxime, or ceftriaxone) with or without erythromycin, given parenterally; parenteral therapy should continue until the patient has been afebrile for more than 24 hours and oxygen saturation exceeds 95 percent.
The physiotherapy treatment will be performed during the hospitalization, every day during 45-60 minutes added to the standard medical treatment. I will include breathing exercises, electrostimulation in quadriceps with voluntary contraction and exercises with theraband.
Faculty of Health Sciences. University of Granada.
Granada, Spain
RECRUITINGMuscle strength
Quadriceps strength will be assessed with a portable dynamometer. The test will be performed as previously reported.
Time frame: Participants will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 8 days
Exercise capacity
Five times sit to stand test (5STS) will be used to assess exercise capacity, 5STS is a simple assessment tool that is feasible in all healthcare settings, and may be a rapid method of assessing changes in exercise capacity in COPD and screening for poor physical functioning individuals.
Time frame: Participants will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 8 days
Respiratory function
Spirometry is regarded as the gold standard measure of respiratory function. Spirometry will be performed according to the American Thoracic Society (ATS) criteria.
Time frame: Participants will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 8 days
Dyspnea perception
Dyspnea perception will be assessed with Borg modified scale. Patients will classify their breathlessness between 0 and 10.
Time frame: Participants will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 8 days
Quality of life
EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) will be used to assess quality of life. EQ-5D is a generic questionnaire and consists of two parts, the EQ-5D Visual analogue scale (VAS) and the EQ-5D index. The EQ-5D VAS consists on a vertical rating scale from 0 to 100 (0 = death/worst possible health state and 100 = best possible health state). The EQ-5D index is a five-item questionnaire (mobility, self-care, usual activity, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression). Each item has three levels: no problem, some problem and severe problem.
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Time frame: Participants will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 8 days.
Functionality
The London Chest Activity of Daily Living (LCADL) is a valid tool that is validated to measure breathlessness during daily activities. It is a 15-item questionnaire divided in 4 domains: self-care (4 items), domestic (6 items) physical activity (2 items) and leisure (3 items).
Time frame: Participants will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 8 days.
Fatigue
Fatigue will be assessed with the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). The FSS is a nine-item instrument designed to assess fatigue as a symptom of a variety of different chronic conditions and disorders. The scale addresses fatigue's effects on daily functioning, querying its relationship to motivation, physical activity, work, family, and social life, and asking respondents to rate the ease with which they are fatigued and the degree to which the symptom poses a problem for them.
Time frame: Participants will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 8 days.
Mood
Mood in these patients will be measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
Time frame: Participants will be followed for the duration of hospital stay, an expected average of 8 days.