STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF THIS STUDY
interstitial lung disease, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
INTERSTITIAL LUNG DISEASE, IDIOPATHIC PULMONARY FIBROSIS
This randomised controlled feasibility, pilot study, showed that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is feasible in circuit-based pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programmes.Our results identify the point at which exercise reinforcement may be needed after completion of a HIIT programme.Although it was possible to recruit enough patients with interstitial lung disease from a single site, not enough patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis could be recruited to evaluate the effect of HIIT on this particular group.We did not use supplementary oxygen during PR for patients other than those already on long-term oxygen therapy.This study adds valuable information for the design of larger, definitive studies, on the peak and subsequent deterioration of outcomes over time depending on exercise mode.