THURSDAY, June 28 (HealthDay News) -- A three-month supervised exercise training program improves daily walking time, quadriceps force, six-minute walking distance, physical functioning, and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure for lung transplant patients who experience an uncomplicated postoperative period, according to research published in the June issue of the American Journal of Transplantation.

Daniel Langer, M.D., of the University Hospitals KULeuven in Belgium, and colleagues conducted a single-blind parallel-group study involving 40 lung transplant patients over the age of 40 who experienced an uncomplicated postoperative period. The participants were randomized to either a three-month supervised exercise training program or a control intervention.

The researchers found that, after one year, daily walking time was 26 minutes longer for those patients who received exercise training compared with control patients. Additionally, quadriceps force, six-minute walking distance, and self-reported physical functioning were all statistically significantly better for patients who received exercise training. Finally, average 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure was lower for patients in the exercise training program.

"The results of this study show that supervised exercise training initiated immediately following hospital discharge improves functional recovery after lung transplantation in patients who experienced an uncomplicated postoperative period," the authors conclude.

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