Reducing stroke-associated pneumonia through pulmonary rehabilitation in moderate-to-severe acute ischemic stroke

Abstract

Abstract Objectives This study investigated the effect of a comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation (CPR) program on stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP) in patients with moderate-to-severe acute ischemic stroke (AIS) after thrombolysis. Methods This study was a prospective randomized controlled intervention study. Eighty patients with moderate-to-severe AIS were divided into the conventional rehabilitation (CR) and CPR groups. Demographic and general clinical data were collected. Patients were evaluated by the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Fugl–Meyer Assessment (FMA), and Fugl–Meyer balance (FMB). The incidence of pneumonia in the acute phase and the treatment efficacy were compared. Results FSS scores at T1 and T2 (2 weeks and 4 weeks after treatment), FMA scores, and FMB scores were higher than those at T0 (first day of admission). FSS scores in the CPR group were lower, while FMA and FMB scores were higher than those in the CR group at T1 and T2. The incidence of pneumonia was 10.00% in the CPR group and 25.00% in the CR group. The rehabilitation effective rate was 92.50% in the CPR group and 80.00% in the CR group, but the proportion of rehabilitation effect in the CPR group was higher than that in the CR group. Conclusions CPR program improves fatigue and motor function and reduces the occurrence of SAP in AIS patients.

Keywords

• Comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation
• Acute ischemic stroke
• Fatigue
• Motor function
• Stroke-associated pneumonia