Effect of Acute Rehabilitation Treatment for Patients with Severe COVID-19

Abstract

Patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have poor prognosis, with many cases being difficult to treat and many reports of neurological complications in patients who have been in the intensive care unit for a long time. Rehabilitation of patients with severe COVID-19 is important；however, no rehabilitation program has shown effectiveness. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of a rehabilitation program developed and used at our hospital for patients with severe COVID-19. We enrolled 28 patients with severe COVID-19 (age 61［23-88］years；female/male, 9/19, body mass index, 25.0［18.0-33.6］kg/m²). We assessed the medical research council scoring (MRC) of the patients at the time of entry and exit from the ordinary ward using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. MRC was significantly improved after exiting the ordinary ward compared with that on entering the ordinary ward (43 vs. 50 points；P＜.001). Moreover, Barthel index improved significantly after exiting the ordinary (32.5 vs. 77.5 points, P＜.001). Therefore, our acute rehabilitation treatment for patients with severe COVID-19 may be effective in improving their muscle strength and daily living.