Abstract
Background: Wearing a surgical mask in hospitalized patients has become recommended during care, including rehabilitation, to mitigate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission. However, the mask may increase dyspnoea and raise concerns in promoting rehabilitation activities in post-acute COVID-19 patients.
Objective: To evaluate the impact of the surgical mask on dyspnoea, exercise performance and cardiorespiratory response during a 1-min sit-to-stand test in hospitalized COVID-19 patients close to discharge.
Methods: COVID-19 patients whose hospital discharge has been planned the following day performed in randomized order two sit-to-stand tests with or without a surgical mask. Outcome measures were recorded before, at the end, and after two minutes of recovery of each test. Dyspnoea (modified Borg scale), cardiorespiratory parameters and sit-to-stand repetitions were measured.
Results: Twenty-eight patients aged 52 ± 10 years were recruited. Compared to unmasked condition, dyspnoea was significantly higher with the mask before and at the end of the sit-to-stand test (mean difference[95%CI]: 1.0 [0.6, 1.4] and 1.7 [0.8, 2.6], respectively). The difference was not significant after the recovery period. The mask had no impact on cardiorespiratory parameters nor the number of sit-to-stand repetitions.
Conclusion: In post-acute COVID-19 patients near hospital discharge, the surgical mask increased dyspnoea at rest and during a submaximal exercise test but had no impact on cardiorespiratory response or exercise performance. Patients recovering from COVID-19 should be reassured that wearing a surgical facemask during physical or rehabilitation activities is safe. These data may also mitigate fears to refer these patients in rehabilitation centres where mask-wearing has become mandatory.
Keywords: COVID-19 and coronavirus disease; physical activity; sit-to-stand test; submaximal exercise test; surgical mask.
【저자키워드】 physical activity, surgical mask., COVID-19 and coronavirus disease, sit-to-stand test, submaximal exercise test, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, coronavirus disease, coronavirus, rehabilitation, Transmission, surgical, discharge, activity, Randomized, Patient, Care, COVID-19 patients, Dyspnoea, hospitalized COVID-19 patient, COVID-19 patient, Safe, not significant, hospital discharge, measure, cardiorespiratory, parameter, repetition, wearing, mitigate, physical, raise, performed, evaluate, recruited, hospitalized patient, significantly higher, had no, were measured, were recorded, Borg, mandatory, recovering from COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 Trial, hospital, surgical, Randomized, response, Impact, COVID-19 patient, cardiorespiratory,