Pulmonary rehabilitation in chronic lung disease and heart failure

Over the past two decades, a growing evidence base has emerged to support the benefits of pulmonary rehabilitation. It is now firmly established as a cornerstone of management in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and other chronic respiratory diseases. This chapter describes the evidence base supporting the use of pulmonary rehabilitation, and the typical content of a pulmonary rehabilitation programme. As cardiovascular and respiratory diseases commonly exist, the effects and influence of cardiovascular disease on pulmonary rehabilitation are discussed. Finally, as there is growing interest to explore joint breathlessness rehabilitation services due to the symptomatic and functional similarities between chronic heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, early work exploring the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation in chronic heart failure is described.