Understanding the effectiveness of different exercise training programme designs on V?O2peak in COPD: a component network meta-analysis

Pulmonary rehabilitation programmes including aerobic training improve cardiorespiratory fitness in patients with COPD, but the optimal programme design is unclear. We used random effects additive component network meta-analysis to investigate the relative effectiveness of different programme components on fitness measured by V?O-2peak in COPD. The included 59 studies involving 2191 participants demonstrated that V?O-2peak increased after aerobic training of at least moderate intensity with the greatest improvement seen following high intensity training. Lower limb aerobic training (SMD 0.56 95% CI 0.32;0.81, intervention arms=86) and the addition of non-invasive ventilation (SMD 0.55 95% CI 0.04;1.06, intervention arms=4) appeared to offer additional benefit but there was limited evidence for effectiveness of other exercise and non-exercise components.

Automated summary

Pulmonary rehabilitation programmes, particularly aerobic training, improve cardiorespiratory fitness in COPD patients, but the optimal programme design remains uncertain.