2012 TPTA Poster Abstracts
INSPIRATORY MUSCLE TRAINING IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC HEART FAILURE – A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Presenter's Name - Last Name First
Lin, Suh-Jen, PhD
Presenter's Affiliation, City, State
Texas Woman's University
Purpose
The purpose of this review was to assess the quality of evidence on inspiratory muscle training (IMT) in terms of subject selection, training protocols, and outcome achieved in patients with chronic heart failure.
Methods
Literature search was performed on clinical trials published in English via the PubMed database and Scopus citation index. Quality of the articles was assessed using Sackett’s levels of evidence. The rigor of methodology was assessed by PEDro (Physiotherapy Evidence Database) criteria for randomized controlled trials and by the Downs & Black tool for cohort studies.
Results
A total of ten articles of Randomized Clinical Trials and two cohort studies were included. Subjects included patients who were classified at NYHA Functional Class II & III and had certain degree of respiratory muscle weakness. The rigor of methodology of these 12 studies ranged from 68% to 90%. Typical training protocols involved an intensity greater than 30% of maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax), duration of 20 to 30 minutes (continuous or incremental), 6 to 7 days a week, and using a pressure threshold type of respiratory muscle trainer. The effect sizes of the following outcomes: PImax (cmH2O), six-minute walk test distance (m), and dysnea scale were “moderate to large” for these studies, suggesting beneficial effects of inspiratory muscle training. Effects on quality of life scores were inconsistent.
Conclusion(s)
The inspiratory muscle training is beneficial for improving respiratory muscle strength, functional capacity, and dyspnea in patients with chronic heart failure and respiratory muscle weakness.