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.