Abstract: Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of multicomponent exercise in the elderly patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) and frailty. Methods A multicomponent exercise intervention programme for the elderly with stable COPD and frailty was formed based on literature analysis and expert correspondence.Seventy-two elderly patients with stable COPD and frailty treated in Department of Geriatrics, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, from April 2022 to August 2023 were selected as the study subjects, and they were divided into the control group and the observation group according to the order of admission, with 36 cases in each group.The control group received conventional interventions, and the observation group added multi-component exercise interventions on the basis of the control group.The duration of the treatment was 12 weeks in both groups, and the results of pulmonary function indexes [forced expiratory volume in one second(FEV1), FEV1/forced vital capacity(FVC)], 6-minute walking distance, the scores of Modified Medical Research Council(mMRC), Fried frailty phenotype and Barthel index were compared between the two groups before and after the intervention. Results Before the intervention, there were no significant differences in all indicators between the two groups(P>0.05); After 12 weeks of the intervention, the difference in pulmonary function was not statistically significant(P>0.05), and the differences in 6-minute walking distance, mMRC score, Fried frailty phenotype score and Barthel index score between the two groups were all statistically significant(P<0.05). Conclusions For the elderly patients with stable COPD and frailty, adherence to regular multicomponent exercise is a valuable rehabilitation method, which can not only effectively reduce the degree of frailty, but also improve their exercise endurance and quality of life.

Key words: multicomponent exercise, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, frailty, aged, quality of life