Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation for Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Narrative Review

Abstract

: The novel coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19), which spread rapidly and became a global pandemic, can cause respiratory failure, possibly requiring hospital stay or intensive care unit treatment. While COVID-19 primarily affects the respiratory system, evidence has shown that it may also affect other body organs such as the heart. Survivors of COVID-19 may develop physical, respiratory, cardiac, and psychological impairments as well as reduced quality of life. Also, the long-term consequences of COVID-19 remain unclear. Hence, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation should be started as soon as possible to alleviate dyspnea, preserve function, minimize disability, reduce complications, relieve anxiety, and improve quality of life. In this study, we summarized the current cardiopulmonary rehabilitation guidelines and protocols for patients with COVID-19.