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
. 2021 Apr 2;100(13):e25339.
doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000025339.

Inspiratory muscle training for recovered COVID-19 patients after weaning from mechanical ventilation: A pilot control clinical study

Ahmed M Abodonya  1   2 , Walid Kamal Abdelbasset  3   4 , Elsayed A Awad  2 , Ibrahim E Elalfy  5 , Hosni A Salem  2 , Shereen H Elsayed  6
Affiliations

Inspiratory muscle training for recovered COVID-19 patients after weaning from mechanical ventilation: A pilot control clinical study

Ahmed M Abodonya et al. Medicine (Baltimore). .

Abstract

Background: To the best of our knowledge, no studies have evaluated the effects of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on recovered COVID-19 patients after weaning from mechanical ventilation. Therefore, this study assessed the efficacy of IMT on recovered COVID-19 patients following mechanical ventilation.

Methods: Forty-two recovered COVID-19 patients (33 men and 9 women) weaned from mechanical ventilation with a mean age of 48.05 ± 8.85 years were enrolled in this pilot control clinical study. Twenty-one patients were equipped to 2-week IMT (IMT group) and 21 matched peers were recruited as a control (control group). Forced vital capacity (FVC%), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%), dyspnea severity index (DSI), quality of life (QOL), and six-minute walk test (6-MWT) were assessed initially before starting the study intervention and immediately after intervention.

Results: Significant interaction effects were observed in the IMT when compared to control group, FVC% (F = 5.31, P = .041, ηP2 = 0.13), FEV1% (F = 4.91, P = .043, ηP2 = 0.12), DSI (F = 4.56, P = .032, ηP2 = 0.15), QOL (F = 6.14, P = .021, ηP2 = 0.17), and 6-MWT (F = 9.34, P = .028, ηP2 = 0.16). Within-group analysis showed a significant improvement in the IMT group (FVC%, P = .047, FEV1%, P = .039, DSI, P = .001, QOL, P < .001, and 6-MWT, P < .001), whereas the control group displayed nonsignificant changes (P > .05).

Conclusions: A 2-week IMT improves pulmonary functions, dyspnea, functional performance, and QOL in recovered intensive care unit (ICU) COVID-19 patients after consecutive weaning from mechanical ventilation. IMT program should be encouraged in the COVID-19 management protocol, specifically with ICU patients.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The CONSORT flow diagram of the study.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, et al. . Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet 2020;395:497–506. - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization (WHO), 2020. Available at: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019. Accessed April 2020.
    1. Yu P, Zhu J, Zhang Z, et al. . A familial cluster of infection associated with the 2019 novel coronavirus indicating possible person-to-person transmission during the incubation period. J Infect Dis 2020;221:1757–61. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Xu Z, Shi L, Wang Y, et al. . Pathological findings of COVID-19 associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Lancet Respir Med 2020;8:420–2. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cui J, Li F, Shi Z. Origin and evolution of pathogenic coronaviruses. Nat Rev Microbiol 2018;17:181–92. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types