Lung transplant patients experience improved outcomes with exercise programme

Patients that undergo a lung transplant could experience improved outcomes and reduced cardiovascular risk by undergoing an exercise programme.

Researchers found that those who took part in a three-month structured exercise regime after being discharged from hospital enjoyed an improved health-related quality of life and were not as likely to encounter cardiovascular problems.

Dr Daniel Langer, a Belgian expert in respiratory diseases and rehabilitation, explained that many people become sedentary after surgery and, as such, develop illnesses such as osteoporosis, high cholesterol and diabetes.

High blood pressure is also very common, but these conditions can be combated through physical exercise, especially those that improve cardiovascular strength.

Activities such as cycling, walking, stair climbing and resistance training were found to be of great benefit among patients.

"We were keen to explore whether an exercise training intervention would be capable of partially reversing these remaining limitations in muscle function, enabling patients to improve exercise capacity and increase their participation in daily activities," Dr Langer commented.

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