Efficacy of Early Inpatient Rehabilitation of Post-COVID-19 Survivors: Single-Center Retrospective Analysis.
Ning Cao, Jaclyn Barcikowski, Franklin Womble and 7 others
PMID 36282676WHAT IT FOUND
Post-COVID patients in early inpatient rehab made significant functional gains.
Most recovered lung function and swallowing. Cognitive deficits persisted in 30% of ventilated patients and 60% of non-ventilated patients. Patients who needed ventilation had higher rates of acute care transfer and skilled nursing discharge.
Key findings
01All patients had significant functional gains in physical and occupational therapy measures.
02Cognitive impairment was persistent in approximately 60% of patients who did not require ventilator treatment.
03Post-ICU patients had a statistically significant higher rate of acute care transfers and discharges to skilled nursing facility compared with those who did not experience an ICU stay.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
This is a single-center retrospective analysis with no control group, so it cannot prove that the specific intervention caused the improvements. The study only included unvaccinated patients with Alpha and Delta variants, so results may not apply to current populations with different variants or vaccination status. Admission criteria required patients to be able to tolerate 3 hours of therapy per day, excluding those too weak to participate, which may bias results toward better outcomes. Cognitive impairment assessments were variable and based on clinical judgment using different tools, lacking a standardized primary cognitive outcome measure. The study did not follow patients after discharge, so long-term functional and cognitive outcomes are unknown.
Declared interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that physical recovery equates to cognitive recovery. While most patients regained mobility and lung function, a majority still had persistent cognitive deficits at discharge, particularly in memory and attention. This suggests that community support and continued cognitive therapy are critical for long-term independence, especially for patients who required ICU care.