EMBARGOED UNTIL: 3:27 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, 2026
Pediatric Pulmonary Rehab Improves Exercise Ability, Quality of Life
Session/Presentation: A99 – Different Delivery and New Populations: Clinical Trials of Pulmonary Rehabilitation/Benefits of Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Pediatric Chronic Respiratory Disease
Date and Time: May 17, 2026, at 3:27 p.m.
Location: W110A (Level I, OCCC West Concourse)
ATS 2026, ORLANDO, Fla. – New research presented at the 2026 ATS International Conference shows that pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) significantly improves functioning and quality of life in children with chronic respiratory conditions, regardless of whether lung function itself improves.
The findings provide new insights into the role of PR for pediatric patients and support the feasibility of these programs for children with chronic respiratory conditions, said first author Tauras Vucianis, a third-year medical student at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. He noted that while pulmonary rehabilitation in adults is well established, less is known about how children can benefit.
“The key takeaway is that pediatric PR significantly improves how children function and feel, with increased exercise capacity, strength, and quality of life — even when traditional lung function testing doesn’t change,” Mr. Vucianis said.
Pulmonary rehabilitation is a common part of treatment for adults with respiratory conditions, especially in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, but pediatric programs are rare. Challenges include a lack of standardized protocols and the need for more individualized exercise programs tailored to each patient’s age, behavior and functional capacity.
For the study, researchers tracked outcomes among 51 children who were enrolled in a pediatric PR program and completed at least five sessions.
Participants showed significant improvement in exercise capacity and also reported considerable improvement in quality of life. Notably, spirometry, a key measure of lung function, remained stable but didn’t improve, Mr. Vucianis said.
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VIEW ABSTRACT (You must be registered to access; if you are not registered, contact dmorris@thoracic.org)
You may also be interested in these additional newsworthy abstracts: A Web-based, Pedometer-mediated Intervention Increases Amount and Intensity of Daily Steps Counts in COPD: A Randomized Controlled Trial | Education - Sessions - Session Detail | ATS 2026
CONTACT FOR MEDIA:
Dacia Morris
dmorris@thoracic.org
Megan Burgasser
megan.burgasser@uc.edu