Objective

To document the level of physical function in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recovering from acute respiratory failure and investigate which patient clinical characteristics could predict physical function assessed by the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB) test.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

Subacute unit of a Rehabilitation Institute.

Participants

Patients with COVID-19 (N=184; aged 18 years or older) who were admitted to a subacute unit to stabilize their condition and recover from acute respiratory failure due to COVID-19.

Interventions

Not applicable.

Main Outcome Measures

At admission patients underwent the SPPB test, represented by the sum of 3 functional tests, standing balance, 4-meter gait speed, and 5-repetition sit-to-stand motion. Comparisons between 2 SPPB score groups were performed by an unpaired t test; multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis was employed to detect predictors of the SPPB score considering several clinical parameters.

Results

Participants were 74±12 years old, 52% were men and with more than 2 comorbidities in 43% of cases. SPPB score was 3.02±3.87 denoting patients’ profound physical dysfunction. Normal physical function was detected in only 12% of patients, whereas low, intermediate, and severe impairment was found in 65%, 13%, and 10%, respectively. Age, both invasive and noninvasive ventilation use, and the presence of previous disability were significant predictors of SPPB. Patients without any comorbidities (8%) also exhibited low function (SPPB: 5.67±1.12).

Conclusions

The majority of survivors after COVID-19 experienced acute respiratory failure due to pneumonia and exhibited substantial physical dysfunction influenced by age, mechanical ventilation need, and previous disability. Further studies are needed to evaluate the role of rehabilitation to promote recovery and community reintegration in this population.

中文翻译：

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入住亚急性病房的 COVID-19 急性呼吸衰竭患者身体机能低下的预测因素

客观的

记录从急性呼吸衰竭中恢复的 2019 年冠状病毒病 (COVID-19) 患者的身体功能水平，并调查哪些患者的临床特征可以预测通过短期身体机能电池 (SPPB) 测试评估的身体功能。

设计

横断面研究。

环境

康复院亚急性病房。

参与者

COVID-19 患者（N = 184；18 岁或以上）被送入亚急性病房以稳定病情并从 COVID-19 引起的急性呼吸衰竭中恢复。

干预

不适用。

主要观察指标

入院时，患者接受了 SPPB 测试，以 3 项功能测试的总和为代表，包括站立平衡、4 米步速和 5 次重复的坐立运动。2个SPPB评分组之间的比较采用非配对t检验；考虑到几个临床参数，采用多元逐步线性回归分析来检测 SPPB 评分的预测因子。

结果

参与者的年龄为 74±12 岁，52% 为男性，43% 的病例中有 2 种以上的合并症。SPPB 评分为 3.02±3.87，表明患者存在严重的身体功能障碍。仅在 12% 的患者中检测到正常的身体功能，而在 65%、13% 和 10% 的患者中分别发现轻度、中度和重度损伤。年龄、有创和无创通气的使用以及既往残疾的存在是 SPPB 的重要预测因素。没有任何合并症的患者 (8%) 也表现出低功能 (SPPB: 5.67±1.12)。

结论

COVID-19 后的大多数幸存者因肺炎而出现急性呼吸衰竭，并表现出受年龄、机械通气需求和既往残疾影响的严重身体功能障碍。需要进一步研究以评估康复在促进该人群康复和重新融入社区方面的作用。