Toshihiro Yashiro, MD, Yoshitaka Wada, MD, PhD, Mizuki Sugiyama, MD, Hidetsugu Tateno, MD, PhD, Fumihito Kasai, MD, PhD, Nobuyuki Kawate, MD, PhD
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 12: 53-57, 2021
Introduction: There have been many reports on
rehabilitation techniques for patients with coronavirus
disease 2019 (COVID-19). However, few have
reported on the use of Kaifukuki rehabilitation for
severe COVID-19 cases with complications of femoral
nerve palsy after veno-venous extracorporeal
membrane oxygenation (VV-ECMO) management.
Case: A male in his 50s who underwent VV-ECMO
management during the course of his treatment for
COVID-19 developed femoral nerve palsy due to
iliopsoas hematoma. From day 120 after admission, he
underwent Kaifukuki rehabilitation focusing on
exercise therapy, activities of daily living (ADL)
training, and respiratory rehabilitation to improve
ADL and exercise tolerance. His respiratory function,
functional independence measure scores, and 6-min
walk test results improved. The patient was discharged
on day 196. His recovery progressed without any
further deterioration.
Discussion: Kaifukuki rehabilitation, focusing on
respiratory rehabilitation, contributed to the
improvement of ADL and exercise tolerance in a
patient with severe COVID-19. In addition, attention
should be paid to femoral nerve palsy after VV-ECMO.
Key words: COVID-19, VV-ECMO, femoral nerve palsy, exercise tolerance, convalescent rehabilitation