Functional improvements of patients admitted to an inpatient rehabilitation facility after bilateral lung transplant due to severe COVID-19 pulmonary disease

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has introduced a new subset of patients with acute end-stage lung damage for which lung transplantation has been successfully performed. Objective: To describe the inpatient rehabilitation course of patients who underwent bilateral lung transplant due to severe COVID-19 pulmonary disease. Design: Retrospective chart review. Setting: Free-standing, academic, urban inpatient rehabilitation hospital. Participants: Seventeen patients aged 28–67 years old (mean 53.9 ± 10.7) who developed COVID-19 respiratory failure and underwent bilateral lung transplant. Interventions: Patients participated in a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation program including physical, occupational, and speech therapy tailored to the unique functional needs of each individual. Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcome measures of functional improvements, include mobility and self-care scores on section GG of the Functional Abilities and Goals of the Improving Post-Acute Care Transformation Act, as defined as quality measures by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Other functional measures included 6 minute walk test, Berg balance scale, Mann Assessment of Swallowing Ability (MASA), and Cognition and Memory Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores. Wilcoxon signed rank sum test was used to evaluate statistical significance of change between admission and discharge scores. Results: Fourteen patients completed inpatient rehabilitation. Self-care (GG0130) mean score improved from 20.9 to 36.1. Mobility (GG0170) mean score improved from 30.7 to 70.7. Mean 6-minute walk distance improved from 174.1 to 467.6 feet. Mean Berg balance scores improved from 18.6/56 to 36.3/56. MASA scores improved from 171.3 to 182.3. All functional measures demonstrated statistically significant improvements with p value ≤.008, except for cognition and memory FIM scores, which did not show a statistically significant difference. A majority (76%) of patients discharged home. Conclusion: This new and unique patient population can successfully participate in a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation program and achieve functional improvements despite medical complications.