Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2005 Apr 30;46(2):233-8.
doi: 10.3349/ymj.2005.46.2.233.

Assisted cough and pulmonary compliance in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Seong Woong Kang  1 , Yeoun Seung Kang, Jae Ho Moon, Tae Won Yoo
Affiliations

Assisted cough and pulmonary compliance in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy

Seong Woong Kang et al. Yonsei Med J. .

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the factors affecting cough ability, and to compare the assisted cough methods in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). A total seventy-one male patients with DMD were included in the study. The vital capacity (VC) and maximum insufflation capacity (MIC) were measured. The unassisted peak cough flow (UPCF) and three different techniques of assisted peak cough flow were evaluated. UPCF measurements were possible for all 71 subjects. But when performing the three different assisted cough techniques, peak cough flows (PCFs) could be obtained from only 51 subjects. The mean value of MICs (1801 +/- 780 cc) was higher than that of VCs (1502 +/- 765 cc) (p< 0.01). All three assisted cough methods showed a significantly higher value than the unassisted method (F=80.92, p< 0.01). The manual assisted PCF under MIC (MPCFmic) significantly exceeded those produced by manual assisted PCF (MPCF) or PCF under MIC (PCFmic). The positive correlation between the MIC, VC difference (MIC-VC), and the difference between PCFmic and UPCF (PCFmic-UPCF) was seen (r=0.572, p< 0.01). The preservation of pulmonary compliance is important for the development of an effective cough as well as assisting the compression and expulsive phases. Thus, the clinical importance of the inspiratory phase and pulmonary compliance in assisting a cough should be emphasized.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Relationship between the MIC, VC difference (MIC-VC), and the difference between PCFmic and UPCF (PCFmic-UPCF). The MIC-VC correlated significantly with the PCFmic-UPCF (r=0.572; p < 0.01). MIC, maximum insufflation capacity; VC, vital capacity; PCFmic, peak cough flow under maximum insufflation capacity; UPCF, unassisted peak cough flow.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Inkley SR, Oldenburg FC, Vignos PJ. Pulmonary function in Duchenne muscular dystrophy related to stage of disease. Am J Med. 1974;56:297–306. - PubMed
    1. Estenne A, Heilporn A, Delhez L, Yernalt JC, Troyer A. Chest wall stiffness in patients with chronic respiratory muscle weakness. Am Rev Respir Dis. 1983;128:1002–1007. - PubMed
    1. Estenne M, Gevenois PA, Kinnear W, Soudon P, Heilporn A, De Troyer A. Lung volume restriction in patients with chronic respiratory muscle weakness: the role of microatelectasis. Thorax. 1993;48:698–701. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Suarez AA, Pessolano FA, Monteiro SG, Ferreyra G, Capria ME, Mesa L, et al. Peak flow and peak cough flow in the evaluation of expiratory muscle weakness and bulbar impairment in patients with neuromuscular disease. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2002;81:506–511. - PubMed
    1. Scanlan C, Myslinski MJ. Bronchial hygiene therapy. In: Scanlan CL, Wilkins RL, Stoller JK, editors. Egan's Fundamentals of Respiratory Care. 7th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 1999. pp. 792–793.