Influence of early pulmonary rehabilitation on transcutaneously measured oxygen saturation and carbon-dioxide pressure values after lung cancer surgery: an observational pilot study

Abstract

AIMS: The aim of our study was to evaluate the influence of early pulmonary rehabilitation treatment on values of oxygen saturation and transcutaneous pCO2 in lung cancer patients after surgery.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The observational pilot study included 41 patients (25 males and 16 females) who underwent lung resection for lung cancer. Further parameters were continuously measured for 12 hours over 7 days period: oxygen saturation (SpO2 ), transcutaneous pCO2 (TpCO2 ), desaturation time (DT) and hypercapnia time (HT).

RESULTS: Significantly lower values of SpO2 were found at day 3 compared to days 1 and 2 (p<0.05 on both occasions), at day 4 compared to days 1 and 2 (p<0.01 and p<0.05 respectively), at day 6 compared to day 2 (p<0.05), and at day 7 compared to day 2 (p<0.05). There are, significant negative correlations between mean values of SpO2 and TpCO2 on days 1, 3, 4 and 5 (R= -0.535, p<0.01 on day 1; R=-0.477, R= -0.365, and R= -327 on days 3, 4, and 5, respectively all p<0.05).

CONCLUSION: Pulmonary rehabilitation administered to the lung cancer patients in early postoperative stage significant lowered SpO2 values in study group. Our preliminary findings stressed out importance and positive effects of early pulmonary rehabilitation on oxygen saturation values in lung cancer patients after surgery.