Observational study summary The goal of this observational study is to determine whether an outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program-already known to be effective and safe for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-is equally effective and well-tolerated when COPD is complicated by pulmonary hypertension (PH). Main question In adults with COPD + PH, does outpatient PR improve six-minute walk distance (6MWD) and remain safe, to the same extent as in adults with COPD without PH? How the study is conducted Researchers retrospectively analyse medical records from the University Hospital of Poitiers covering a ten-year period. Eligible participants are adults with COPD who completed at least three weeks of supervised PR and underwent echocardiography to assess PH probability. Two cohorts are compared: COPD + PH (intermediate or high echocardiographic suspicion) COPD without PH (no echocardiographic suspicion) Key data collected Change in 6MWD between the start and end of PR (primary endpoint) Proportion of participants achieving a clinically meaningful improvement in 6MWD Occurrence of severe exacerbations (hospital- or emergency-treated events) during the year after PR All-cause mortality within one year Adverse events or program interruptions indicating PR tolerance
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
59
CHU de Poitiers, University of Poitiers, France
Poitiers, Vienne, France
Change in six-minute walk distance (6MWD)
Absolute difference (metres) between the 6-minute walk test performed at the start of the pulmonary-rehabilitation (PR) programme and the test repeated at the final session, following ATS/ACCP standards
Time frame: Up to 3 weeks
Participants achieving the minimum clinically important difference (MCID) in 6MWD
Number and proportion of participants whose 6MWD rises by ≥ 30.5 m between baseline and the end of PR, the accepted MCID for this test
Time frame: Up to 3 weeks
Severe COPD exacerbations
Count of exacerbations requiring an emergency-department visit or hospital admission in the 12 months following completion of PR
Time frame: Between 0 and 12 months after PR
All-cause mortality
Death from any cause, confirmed through the French national death registry
Time frame: Between 0 and 12 months after PR
Tolerance of PR
Number of adverse events occurring during the PR course or Number of programme interruptions due to acute causes (e.g., infection, exacerbation)
Time frame: Day 1 and up to 3 weeks
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