A Protocol for Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation Combined with Enzyme Replacement Therapy for Ventilator Weaning in Late-Onset Pompe Disease

Summary

This protocol describes a multidisciplinary rehabilitation approach integrated with enzyme replacement therapy to support ventilator weaning in a patient with late-onset Pompe disease through structured respiratory training, physical rehabilitation, nutritional management, psychological support, and standardized extubation assessment.

Abstract

Late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by acid alpha-glucosidase deficiency, resulting in progressive skeletal and respiratory muscle weakness that may lead to chronic respiratory insufficiency and prolonged dependence on mechanical ventilation. Although enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) can slow disease progression, successful ventilator weaning often requires coordinated multidisciplinary management. This protocol describes a reproducible rehabilitation approach integrated with ERT to support ventilator weaning and extubation in patients with LOPD. The method combines pharmacological treatment with structured respiratory rehabilitation, physical training, nutritional management, psychological support, and traditional Chinese medicine–based interventions, including auricular acupuncture and seated Tai Chi. The protocol also incorporates standardized assessment procedures, individualized treatment planning, ventilator weaning strategies, and objective criteria for evaluating extubation readiness. Emphasis is placed on collaboration among physicians, rehabilitation therapists, nurses, nutritionists, and psychologists to address the complex needs of patients with neuromuscular respiratory impairment. The approach is illustrated through its application in an adult patient with LOPD who required prolonged mechanical ventilation. This protocol provides a practical framework that may be adapted across clinical settings to support respiratory recovery, rehabilitation participation, and ventilator weaning in patients with LOPD and related neuromuscular disorders.

Introduction

Pompe disease is a rare autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder caused by pathogenic variants in the acid alpha-glucosidase (GAA) gene. The resulting deficiency of lysosomal GAA impairs glycogen degradation and leads to progressive glycogen accumulation, particularly in skeletal, cardiac, and respiratory muscles. The reported frequency of Pompe disease varies among populations and according to the methods used for case identification. In a nationwide Belgian cohort, the prevalence of late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) was estimated at 3.9 cases per million individuals¹.

Pompe disease is generally classified into ....

Protocol

Conduct all procedures involving the patient in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and the requirements of the Institutional Research Ethics Committee of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang Chinese Medical University (Approval No. ZSLL-ZN-2024-039-01). This protocol was developed from and implemented in the representative adult patient with confirmed LOPD described above. Obtain written informed consent from the patient or the patient’s legally authorized representative for treatment, study-related data collection, and publication of de-identified clinical information before protocol implementation.

1. Patient Pre....

Results

Representative Baseline Clinical Profile

Before transfer, the patient developed inability to expectorate airway secretions at home, followed by cardiopulmonary arrest. He was resuscitated at a local hospital and transferred to a higher-level surgical intensive care unit. Before rehabilitation admission, he had received alglucosidase alfa, piperacillin sodium and sulbactam sodium, enoxaparin sodium, acid-suppression therapy, expectorant treatment, and intermittent bronchoscopic.......

Discussion

ERT remains the disease-specific biochemical foundation for Pompe disease because it increases exogenous GAA availability and reduces lysosomal glycogen accumulation. However, published evidence demonstrates that the clinical response in LOPD is heterogeneous, and respiratory weakness may remain a major determinant of ventilator dependence despite continued ERT⁴². This observation explains why the present protocol did not treat ERT as a standalone solution. Instead, ERT was combined with respirato.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
0.9% sodium chloride injection	Baxter or equivalent hospital-grade sterile infusion fluid	N/A	Used for dilution of reconstituted alglucosidase alfa before IV infusion.
3 L calibration syringe	Vitalograph	Model 2040; catalog no. 36020	Calibration verification for spirometry or flow/volume measurement equipment.
4-Methylumbelliferyl alpha-D-glucopyranoside	Sigma-Aldrich / Merck	M9766	Fluorogenic substrate for acid alpha-glucosidase activity assay.
Acarbose	Sigma-Aldrich / Merck	A8980	Inhibitor used to suppress maltase-glucoamylase interference during acid alpha-glucosidase activity testing.
Airway management/reintubation kit	Institutional emergency airway cart	N/A	Includes laryngoscope/video laryngoscope, endotracheal tubes, stylet, suction catheter, bag-valve-mask, oxygen source, and emergency medications according to institutional policy.
Alglucosidase alfa	Sanofi / Genzyme	Myozyme or Lumizyme; 50 mg vial	Enzyme replacement therapy; 20 mg/kg IV every 2 weeks; administer with stepwise infusion-rate escalation according to product label.
Antiseptic skin preparation swabs	Embecta / BD	BD Alcohol Swabs; 326895	70% isopropyl alcohol swabs for auricular skin preparation before needle insertion.
Auricular acupuncture needles	TCMSupply	E-S 240901	Single-use sterile auricular acupuncture needles for Shenmen, Heart, and Sympathetic points.
Bag-valve-mask device	Institutional emergency airway cart	N/A	Emergency ventilation support during airway or infusion-related deterioration.
Barthel Index	Publicly available clinical instrument	N/A	Functional status assessment.
Bedside multiparameter monitor	Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.	iMEC8	Continuous monitoring of ECG, heart rate, respiratory rate, non-invasive blood pressure, SpO2, and temperature.
Berg Balance Scale	Publicly available clinical instrument	N/A	Balance assessment; score range 0–56.
Biological microscope	MINGHUI	NE710	Muscle-biopsy histopathology review and calibrated image acquisition.
Blood gas analyzer	Radiometer Medical ApS	ABL90 FLEX	Arterial blood gas analysis, including pH, PaO2, PaCO2, bicarbonate, base excess, and lactate.
Borg Category-Ratio 10 scale	Publicly available clinical instrument	N/A	Perceived exertion and dyspnea-related exertional tolerance monitoring.
Bristol Stool Form Scale	Publicly available clinical instrument	N/A	Stool-consistency assessment during bowel-function monitoring.
Case report form / MDT documentation template	Institution-developed form	N/A	Used to record protocol adherence, outcomes, adverse events, deviations, and follow-up data.
EDTA blood collection tube	BD Vacutainer or equivalent	N/A	Peripheral blood collection for leukocyte acid alpha-glucosidase activity testing and GAA molecular testing.
Electric suction apparatus	Yuwell	7A-23D	Airway secretion suction; 20 L/min suction-capacity model suitable for hospital secretion management.
Emergency medications for anaphylaxis	Institutional emergency medication supply	N/A	Includes epinephrine, antihistamine, corticosteroid, bronchodilator, and isotonic crystalloid according to institutional policy.
Enteral feeding pump	MDKMed Medical Technology Co., Ltd.	ME11	Continuous enteral nutrition pump for controlled infusion of nutritional solutions.
Enteral feeding tube	Hospital-approved supplier	N/A	Nasogastric or nasoenteric tube for enteral nutrition when clinically required.
Enteral nutrition formula	Hospital-approved supplier	N/A	Formula selected by dietitian according to energy/protein targets and gastrointestinal tolerance.
GAD-7 questionnaire	Publicly available clinical instrument	N/A	Anxiety assessment.
Genomic DNA extraction kit	QIAGEN	QIAamp DNA Blood Mini Kit; 51104 or 51106	Extraction of genomic DNA from peripheral blood leukocytes for GAA sequencing.
Hand weights	CanDo / Fabrication Enterprises	CanDo vinyl-coated dumbbells	Low-load progressive resistance training for upper-limb strengthening.
High-flow oxygen system	Fisher & Paykel Healthcare	AIRVO 2	Optional post-extubation high-flow nasal oxygen support; flow range 2–60 L/min.
High-protein oral nutritional supplement	Abbott Laboratories	Ensure Plus or equivalent	Oral nutritional support when swallowing and gastrointestinal tolerance permit.
High-throughput sequencing platform	MGI Tech Co., Ltd.	MGISEQ-2000	Sequencing platform used for GAA molecular testing.
Infusion pump	Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.	BeneFusion VP1 Ex	Controlled ERT administration through programmable infusion pump.
Inline infusion filter	B. Braun	Sterifix 0.2 μm infusion filter	0.2 μm low-protein-binding in-line filter for alglucosidase alfa administration.
Inspiratory muscle training device	Philips Respironics	Threshold IMT; HS730	Threshold-loading inspiratory muscle trainer for respiratory muscle strengthening.
Intensive Care Unit Mobility Scale	Publicly available clinical instrument	N/A	Mobility-level assessment during rehabilitation.
Invasive ventilator	Shenzhen Comen Medical Instruments Co., Ltd.	COMEN V3A	Used for invasive ventilatory support; representative patient was ventilated in p-SIMV mode on admission.
Low-protein-binding infusion extension set	Becton, Dickinson and Company (BD)	SmartSite Extension Set, 0.2 micron filter; product code 20027E	Low-protein-binding extension set used for filtered IV infusion when available.
Mechanical insufflation-exsufflation device	Philips Respironics	CoughAssist E70; catalog/model 1098163 or 1098159	Used for assisted cough and secretion clearance when cough effectiveness remains inadequate or peak cough flow is severely reduced.
Medical Research Council muscle-strength scale	Publicly available clinical instrument	N/A	Muscle-strength grading and MRC sum score calculation.
Microscope camera	MINGHUI	MHS900 camera	Digital pathology image capture for representative histopathology images.
Non-invasive ventilation system	ResMed	Stellar 150	Used for post-extubation or weaning support when NIV is clinically required.
Nose clip	GVS	Disposable nose clip; product line: Accessories for Spirometry	Used during respiratory mechanics testing when a mouthpiece method is feasible.
Periodic acid-Schiff staining system	Sigma-Aldrich / Merck	395B-1KT	PAS staining of muscle-biopsy sections to demonstrate glycogen accumulation.
PHQ-9 questionnaire	Publicly available clinical instrument	N/A	Depression assessment.
Pulmonary function / peak-flow measurement device	Zhejiang E-Linkcare Meditech Co., Ltd. /	PF680	Used for pulmonary-function assessment and peak expiratory/cough-flow-related measurement; records FVC, FEV1, PEF, and related spirometric parameters.
Respiratory pressure meter for MIP/MEP	XEEK	X1	Used for maximal inspiratory pressure and maximal expiratory pressure measurement.
Respiratory testing mask	Ambu	Ambu Disposable Face Mask; adult size selected according to patient fit	Mask interface for respiratory testing or airway support when a mouthpiece cannot be used.
Respiratory testing mouthpiece	GVS	Ergonomic spirometry mouthpiece; product line: Accessories for Spirometry	Single-patient-use mouthpiece for spirometry or respiratory mechanics testing.
Resistance bands	THERABAND	Professional latex or non-latex resistance bands	Progressive resistance exercises; select resistance level according to therapist assessment.
Richmond Agitation-Sedation Scale	Publicly available clinical instrument	N/A	Sedation and arousal assessment before psychological or functional assessment.
Secure electronic medical record or research-data system	Institutional system	N/A	Used for secure storage of source documents, study records, audit trails, and de-identified research data.
Sharps disposal container	BD or equivalent medical sharps-disposal supplier	N/A	Rigid puncture-resistant sharps container for immediate disposal of used acupuncture needles.
Stable armless chair	Hospital-approved rehabilitation equipment supplier	N/A	Used for 30-s chair-stand test; chair height approximately 43–45 cm.
Sterile water for injection	Baxter or equivalent hospital-grade sterile diluent	N/A	Used for reconstitution of alglucosidase alfa according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Stopwatch/timer	Hospital-approved supplier	N/A	Used for SBT timing, respiratory-training intervals, exercise sessions, Tai Chi sessions, and monitoring intervals.
Tai Chi instructional materials	Dr. Paul Lam Tai Chi Productions or institution-developed seated Tai Chi protocol	N/A	Used to standardize seated Tai Chi movement sequence and breathing coordination.
Transfer aid	Arjo	Sara Stedy	Sit-to-stand and transfer support during early mobilization and standing practice.
Whole-chest oscillation sputum-clearance device	Changzhou Siya Medical Device Co., Ltd. / Yasi	YSQ01B	Whole-chest oscillation airway-clearance device used for secretion mobilization and sputum clearance.