Research Highlights
Computer Program Helps Veterans with COPD Breathe Better
April 23, 2008
Exercise tolerance is decreased in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which causes significant disability and profoundly affects quality of life. According to Eileen Collins, PhD, RN, "One of the key mechanisms of shortness of breath and exercise in these patients is their inability to fully exhale air when active." This causes air to be trapped inside the lungs (dynamic hyperinflation) and diminishes breathing capacity. In a randomized controlled trial, Dr. Collins and colleagues designed a computer program that incorporates ventilation-feedback (VF) to test whether it could decrease the extent of air trapped in the lungs when patients (n=64) with COPD exercise. Patients with COPD were randomized to three groups: VF plus exercise (n=22), exercise alone (n=20), and VF alone (n=22). Patients using ventilation-feedback had their breathing monitored by a computer program that provided real-time biofeedback and set individualized goals that were presented to them graphically onscreen. Findings from the study show that ventilation-feedback plus exercise decreases dynamic hyperinflation more than VF alone or exercise alone, and increases the duration of exercise more than VF alone. Dr. Collins and colleagues are conducting a follow-up clinical trial to compare computerized breathing techniques with other unique methods of pulmonary rehabilitation.
Collins E, Langbein E, Fehr L, et al. Can ventilation-feedback training augment exercise tolerance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine April 15, 2008;177(8):844-852.
This study was funded by VA's Rehabilitation Research and Development Service. Dr. Collins is an HSR∓D nurse investigator and is part of the Edward Hines Jr. VA Hospital in Hines, IL.