The aim of the present study was to profile a multidimensional response to pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Dyspnoea, exercise performance, health status, mood status and problematic activities of daily life were assessed before and after a 40-session pulmonary rehabilitation programme in 2068 patients with COPD (mean forced expiratory volume in 1 s of 49% predicted). Patients were ordered by their overall similarity concerning their multidimensional response profile, which comprises the overall response on MRC dyspnoea grade, 6MWD, cycle endurance time, Canadian Occupational Performance Measure performance and satisfaction scores, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety and depression, and St George's Respiratory Questionnaire total score, using a novel non-parametric regression technique.Patients were clustered into four groups with distinct multidimensional response profiles: n=378 (18.3%; "very good responder"), n=742 (35.9%; "good responder"), n=731 (35.4%; "moderate responder"), and n=217 (10.5%; "poor responder"). Patients in the "very good responder" cluster had higher symptoms of dyspnoea, number of hospitalisations <12 months, worse exercise performance, worse performance and satisfaction scores for problematic activities of daily life, more symptoms of anxiety and depression, worse health status, and a higher proportion of patients following an inpatient PR programme compared to the other three clusters.A multidimensional response outcome needs to be considered to study the efficacy of pulmonary rehabilitation services in patients with COPD, as responses to regular outcomes are differential within patients with COPD. @ERSpublications Efficacy of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with COPD needs to be assessed using a multidimensional response http://ow.ly/RsfYK

This review summarises ongoing developments in personalised medicine and individualised medicine in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Currently applied classification systems largely ignore the complexity and heterogeneity of the COPD syndrome. Personalised medicine has to consider the influence of unique circumstances of the person, which contribute to this heterogeneity and complexity. Pulmonary rehabilitation is described as a comprehensive, individualised intervention based on thorough assessment of identifiable treatable traits. Partnership in care will become a crucial factor to improve and maintain health. Tolerating uncertainty and unpredictability will enrich future doctor-patient relationships.

Patients undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation experience a complex health behavior change process, in which healthcare professionals fulfill a major contributing role. Therefore, guiding patients through this health behavior change process is a vital component of healthcare professionals' work, regarding which the present study made practical implications such as applying a personalized approach by giving tailored advices, applying an autonomy-supportive counseling style, teaching self-management skills, and referring patients to local exercise facilities.

BackgroundWhile spirometry and particularly airflow limitation is still considered as an important tool in therapeutic decision making, it poorly reflects the heterogeneity of respiratory impairment in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aims of this study were to identify pathophysiological clusters in COPD based on an integrated set of standard lung function attributes and to investigate whether these clusters can predict patient-related outcomes and differ in clinical characteristics.MethodsClinically stable COPD patients referred for pulmonary rehabilitation underwent an integrated assessment including clinical characteristics, dyspnea score, exercise performance, mood and health status, and lung function measurements (post-bronchodilator spirometry, body plethysmography, diffusing capacity, mouth pressures and arterial blood gases). Self-organizing maps were used to generate lung function based clusters.ResultsClustering of lung function attributes of 518 patients with mild to very severe COPD identified seven different lung function clusters. Cluster 1 includes patients with better lung function attributes compared to the other clusters. Airflow limitation is attenuated in clusters 1 to 4 but more pronounced in clusters 5 to 7. Static hyperinflation is more dominant in clusters 5 to 7. A different pattern occurs for carbon monoxide diffusing capacity, mouth pressures and for arterial blood gases. Related to the different lung function profiles, clusters 1 and 4 demonstrate the best functional performance and health status while this is worst for clusters 6 and 7. All clusters show differences in dyspnea score, proportion of men/women, age, number of exacerbations and hospitalizations, proportion of patients using long-term oxygen and number of comorbidities.ConclusionBased on an integrated assessment of lung function variables, seven pathophysiological clusters can be identified in COPD patients. These clusters poorly predict functional performance and health status.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has extensively been reported as a complex disease affecting patients' health beyond the lungs with a variety of intra- and extrapulmonary components and considerable variability between individuals. This review discusses the assessment of this complexity and underlines the importance of transdisciplinary management programmes addressing the physical, emotional and social health of the individual patient.COPD management is challenging and requires advanced, sophisticated strategies meeting the patient's individual needs. Due to the heterogeneity and complexity of the disease leading to non-linear and consequently poorly predictable treatment responses, multidimensional patient profiling is crucial to identify the right COPD patient for the right treatment. Current methods are often restricted to general, well-known and commonly used assessments neglecting potentially relevant (interactions between) individual, unique "traits" to finally ensure personalised treatment. Dynamic, personalised and holistic approaches are needed to tackle this multifaceted disease and to ensure personalised medicine and value-based healthcare.