Videogame Assisted Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

In this randomised clinical trial (RCT) subjects were assigned to two groups: the Experimental Group (EG) received a hospital based outpatient PRP and Wii Fit videogame program; the Control Group (CG) received only a standard hospital based outpatient PRP. Researchers evaluating results and patients were not blind to treatment. Patients maintained their usual drug medication according to accepted Guidelines.

Patients of both groups received for six weeks three weekly 30-minute sessions of supervised standard cycle exercise training at outpatient clinics under the supervision of doctors and nurses. Oxygen pulse oximetry (SpO2), arterial blood pressure, heart rate (HR) and dyspnoea (by a 10-point modified Borg scale) were monitored.

In addition to each session of exercise training, patients of EG performed also 30 minute session of supervised video-game assisted program in a dedicated room equipped with Wii Nintendo, balance board, and flatscreen television. Participants played 3 different games per session:

1. Yoga with "deep breathing" and "half moon" : patients performed technique of breathing and held a particular pose or series of poses for 10 minutes.
2. "torso twist" : a strength training exercise in which patients perform a number of repetitions of the selected exercise.
3. aerobic exercises "free run": the patient runs in place while keeping the connected Wii Remote in his or her pocket, which acts as a pseudo-pedometer.

The primary outcome measure was the 6MWT. Results are shown as mean (Standard Deviation: SD) for continuous and as numbers (percentage frequency) for discrete variables. To determine the sample size, an earlier study showed a post-program 70.4 (18.3) meter mean increase in 6MWT.

The study hypothesis was therefore to observe a 30 m post-PRP change in both groups. To obtain a 90% study power and an alpha error less than 5%, a minimum sample size of 12 patients completing the study was required in each group.

To obtain this result investigators estimated an allocation sample size of 40 patients, considering a 20% drop out rate.

Unpaired t test, Kruskall-Wallis H test, and X2 analyses for dichotomous variables were used when appropriate for comparison between groups to test any baseline difference.

The two-way repeated measures ANOVA was carried out to compare the improvements of both groups.

Chi-square test was used to compare continuous and categorical variables. A p value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Analyses were performed using a specific package (SPSS for Windows latest version, Chicago, Illinois, USA).