Early Rehabilitation Protocol for Bullae Repair and Pleurectomy: A Case Report

Objectives: Postoperative physiotherapy is routinely prescribed for patients after thoracic surgeries. There are no established guidelines for exercise prescription after pleural resection surgeries. The present study aimed to determine the effect of an individualized postoperative physiotherapy program on a patient who underwent pleurectomy.

Methods: A 19-year-old female patient was admitted to Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore in February 2019. She was diagnosed with right spontaneous pneumothorax; then, she underwent bullae repair and pleurectomy and was given a 7-day individualized postoperative physiotherapy. The severity of dyspnoea, chest expansion, and right shoulder range of motion was recorded on postoperative day 2 and the day of discharge; the six-minute walk distance was measured on postoperative day 4 and the day of discharge.

Results: Significant improvements in all the outcomes were found after the individualized post-operative physiotherapy program in the reported patient.

Discussion: The provided individualized 7-day physiotherapy program improved the chest expansion, shoulder range of motion, rating of perceived exertion scores, and functional capacity in the reported patient who underwent bullae repair and pleurectomy.