Optimizing Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation Duration for Long COVID Patients: An Exercise Physiology Monitoring Approach.

Long COVID syndrome effects patient care, characterized by persistent symptoms such as cough, dyspnoea, chest pain, fatigue, and anxiety, profoundly impacting individuals' quality of life and workability. <bold>Aim:</bold> Our study was to assess the effectiveness of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation in the long-term and optimizing rehabilitation duration to enhance functional parameters and quality of life. A total of 200 adults who had recovered from COVID-19 infection but continued to experience enduring symptoms, after screening of medical, physical, and mental states, participants were enrolled. The intervention group (n=100) received supervised rehabilitation, while an age-matched control group (n=100) received a single check-up and a home-based program. Comparative analysis focused on pulmonary function, symptomatology, and quality of life, six-minute walking distance and CPET. Our study contributes understanding long COVID rehabilitation, emphasizing the potential benefits of structured cardiopulmonary rehabilitation in enhancing patient outcomes and well-being. We have found significant difference between intervention group and control group in FVC (L) 3 (2.36-3.57) to 3.36 (2.7-4.1) (p=0.011), FEV 1 (L) 2.51 (1.98-3.06) to 2.82 (2.27-3.38) (p=0.006), FEV 1 (ref%) 84.88 (75.15-89.19) to 92 (79.5-104)*, TLCO (mmol/min/kPa) 6.87 (5.72-8.54) to 5.45 (4.49-6.52)*, KLCO (%) 85.5 (75-107) to 111 (88-131.5)*, SpO 2 (%) 96 (95-98) to 98 (97-99) *p<0.001. Improvements was detected in peak WR, VO2/kg between the two- and three-month follow-up assessments. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> Our findings highlight the positive long-term effects of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation program on individuals.