Pulmonary Rehabilitation of a Case With Worsening Dyspnea Due to Acute Exacerbation of Interstitial Pneumonia After Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery

We report a case of acute exacerbation of interstitial pneumonia after video-assisted thoracic surgery. The case was a 69-year-old man with left upper lobe lung cancer. Acute exacerbation was suspected on postoperative day 6 due to worsening dyspnea and frosted shadows on computed tomography. High-dose corticosteroids and low-to-moderate-dose corticosteroids were administered. Step-by-step rehabilitation with oxygen administration commenced as soon as possible, and the patient was able to be discharged. However, dyspnea, knee extension strength, and exercise capacity were significantly worse than before surgery. Eighteen months later, pulmonary function and knee extension strength showed improvements, but exercise capacity was unchanged from the time of discharge. Continued follow-up will be necessary.