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The number of Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) cases are on a rise globally due to the highly contagious nature of its causative agent Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2). Physiological and Immunological changes during pregnancy may put pregnant women at increased risk for severe COVID-19 respiratory infection which may require Intensive care. Along with medical management, physiotherapy interventions namely patient education, relaxation, breathing exercises, positioning in bed, and mobility exercises are an integral part of acute care set up. The aim of this report is to share our experience as a frontline physiotherapist working as an integral part of the medical team in a dedicated COVID-19 Government Tertiary Care Hospital in Mumbai. It highlights physiotherapy management of a COVID-19 patient, in her 24th week of gestation, in an Acute Care Set Up.

Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has affected people of various age groups with symptoms ranging from asymptomatic or mild to severe respiratory failure, with mild symptoms requiring little or no medical intervention whereas severe symptoms requiring hospitalisation and prompt medical management. The following case report illustrates about recovery of a patient with severe symptoms of COVID-19 in a COVID dedicated tertiary care hospital run by the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. Physiotherapy has long been a part of multidisciplinary team in management of patients with severe respiratory illnesses. The report mainly presents about the Physiotherapy management undertaken for the above-mentioned patient parallelly to the Medical management aiding in recovery of the patient.

Background: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, clinically presenting with common symptoms of fever, dry cough, and breathlessness within 14 days of exposure. Its severity ranges from mild to severe, latter manifesting into severe acute respiratory syndrome. As a part of multidisciplinary team, physiotherapy along with medical management was administered to patients with COVID-19 in an acute care setup. This retrospective study aims to explore various patient characteristics and will aid in identifying the impairments associated with the disease, giving a direction to the physiotherapy community in planning future management strategy to improve quality of life. Patients and methods: The present study is a unicentric study wherein prospective analysis of retrospective data of patients referred for physiotherapy from May 13 to July 31, 2020, was performed. (i) Characteristics of patients, (ii) associated comorbidities, (iii) hospital course since the time of admission to discharge, (iv) mode of oxygen delivery, (v) pre- and post-physiotherapy treatment values of oxygen saturation and heart rate, and (vi) physiotherapy treatment were recorded. The archived data were analyzed using the commercially available SPSS software version 24. Wilcoxon's matched pair test was used to compare pre- and post-treatment oxygen saturation and heart rate, and McNemar's test was used to compare mode of oxygen delivery and pre- and post-physiotherapy treatment. Results: Descriptive analysis of data showed a better outcome in terms of grade of dyspnea and rate of discharge on day 14 of physiotherapy treatment. Hence, a comparative analysis of day 1 and day 14 was performed for mode of oxygen delivery, oxygen saturation, and heart rate. A statistically significant improvement was observed in the heart rate (p = 0.001) and oxygen delivery (p = 0.000). However, no significant difference in the level of oxygen saturation was found (p = 0.6433). Conclusion: Physiotherapy treatment in conjunction with medical treatment can be effectively administered in patients with COVID-19 in acute care setup taking into consideration the health status and the hemodynamic stability of the patients. It emphasizes the role of physiotherapy in the alleviation of symptoms, facilitating early weaning and recovery enabling early discharge from the hospital. How to cite this article: Verma CV, Arora RD, Mistry HM, Kubal SV, Kolwankar NS, Patil PC, et al. Changes in Mode of Oxygen Delivery and Physiological Parameters with Physiotherapy in COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Study. Indian J Crit Care Med 2021;25(3):317–321.