INTRODUCTION
The application of cardiopulmonary rehabilitation (CR) has dramatically
increased in many areas globally. Studies have reported that CR
treatment has significantly decreased mortality rates, reduced
re-admissions, and improved quality of life among patients with heart
and respiratory diseases [1,2]. On the other end of the spectrum,
the current public health crisis stemming from the coronavirus
(COVID-19) outbreak has taken many lives primarily owing to severely
compromised respiratory status. Since the first human-infected case was
reported in late 2019, followed by rapid transmission and its global
spread, the state of a pandemic was declared by the World Health
Organization in early 2020.
In response to the pandemic, various acute care and treatment methods
for COVID-19 infection have been proposed based on limited research
data. The recent and notable preventive measure in response to the
crisis has been developing vaccines to achieve herd immunity. However,
there is still insufficient research evidence for the treatment of
conventional acute cardiopulmonary failure, which is accompanied by
deterioration of physical condition, postural instability, muscle
shortening, and contracture that may occur after COVID-19 infection.
[3,4].
Our patient with cardiac arrest, presumably associated with recent
COVID-19 infection, showed improvement in cardiopulmonary function after
undergoing a simultaneously combined pulmonary and cardiac
rehabilitation. The resultant effect was a rapid return to daily life
activities and vital community participation.