Changes in Functional Outcomes After an Inpatient Rehabilitation Program for Solid-Organ Transplant Recipients.
Matheus de Paiva Azevedo, Patrícia Angelica de Miranda Silva Nogueira, Lorna D'Souza and 5 others
PMID 37491867WHAT IT FOUND
Solid-organ transplant recipients in a multidisciplinary inpatient rehabilitation program improved walking, balance, strength, independence, and quality of life; no control group means natural recovery cannot be separated.
Key findings
01The primary outcome improved: mean distance walked was 69 m before and 100 m after, with a mean change of 31 m.
02Balance, independence, quality of life, and sit-to-stand performance also improved after the program.
03Changes in walk distance were not associated with changes in lower-body strength or quadriceps strength.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
There was no control group, so improvement could reflect natural recovery after transplant rather than the rehabilitation program. The program was multidisciplinary, so the effect of physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, psychology, physiatry, hospitalist physician, and nutrition could not be separated. Only 28 patients completed the study after 36 were recruited, and 8 dropped out. The study was done at one center, so results may not apply to other settings. Forty-four percent of approached patients declined or were excluded, and their data were not analysed. Only two patients could perform the 30-second sit-to-stand test before intervention, limiting that measure.
Declared interests
Funding was from St. John's Rehab Foundation. The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that physical therapy alone caused the gains. The rehabilitation program also included occupational therapy, nursing, psychology, physiatry, hospitalist physician, and nutrition, and there was no control group to separate the program from natural recovery.