Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disabling condition associated with progressive airflow limitation and lung tissue damage; its main symptoms are breathlessness, fatigue, cough, and sputum production. In the advanced stage of the
disease, these symptoms may severely impact on a person’s physical and psychological functioning, with some also developing chronic respiratory failure, associated with blood gas abnormalities. Non-pharmacological interventions can improve quality of life and functioning in the management of people living with advanced COPD. This article will provide an overview of common non-pharmacological methods used in the symptomatic management of severe COPD, including: breathlessness and fatigue management strategies, anxiety management, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) and physical activity (PA), neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), airway clearance techniques
(ACTs), nutrition and non-invasive ventilation (NIV). The importance of a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to people living with COPD will be discussed.
disease, these symptoms may severely impact on a person’s physical and psychological functioning, with some also developing chronic respiratory failure, associated with blood gas abnormalities. Non-pharmacological interventions can improve quality of life and functioning in the management of people living with advanced COPD. This article will provide an overview of common non-pharmacological methods used in the symptomatic management of severe COPD, including: breathlessness and fatigue management strategies, anxiety management, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) and physical activity (PA), neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), airway clearance techniques
(ACTs), nutrition and non-invasive ventilation (NIV). The importance of a holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to people living with COPD will be discussed.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 907664 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine |
| Volume | 9 |
| Early online date | 18 Jul 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 18 Jul 2022 |
Bibliographical note
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.Keywords
- palliative care
- non-pharmacological management
- COPD
- narrative review
- physiotherapy