Home-based Respiratory Training After Stroke

October 24, 2017 updated by: Luci Fuscaldi Teixeira-Salmela, Federal University of Minas Gerais

Effects of Home-based Respiratory Training After Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Weakness of the respiratory muscles demonstrated by individuals with stroke, may generate important symptoms, such as fatigue and dyspnea. Since adequate strength of the inspiratory and expiratory muscles is required, mainly when performing physical activities, rehabilitation interventions for stroke subjects should include respiratory training. This study will test the hypothesis that home-based combined training of the inspiratory and expiratory muscles is effective in improving strength of the inspiratory and expiratory muscles, endurance of the inspiratory muscles, dyspnea, walking capacity, and ocurrence of respiratory complications after stroke. For this clinical trial, people after stroke will be randomly allocated into either experimental or control/sham groups. The experimental group will undertake training of the inspiratory plus expiratory muscles with the Orygen Dual Valve device, regulated at 50% of the subjects' maximal inspiratory and expíratory pressure values, seven times/week over eight weeks during 40 minutes/day. The control group will undertake the same protocol, but the participants will receive the devices without resistance. At baseline, post intervention, and four weeks after the cessation of the intervention, researchers blinded to group allocations will collect the following outcome measures: maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures, inspiratory endurance, dyspnea, walking capacity, and ocurrence of respiratory complications.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Rationale: Weakness of the respiratory muscles demonstrated by individuals with stroke, may generate important symptoms, such as fatigue and dyspnea. Since adequate strength of the inspiratory and expiratory muscles is required, mainly when performing physical activities, rehabilitation interventions for stroke subjects should include respiratory training.

Aim: This study will test the hypothesis that home-based combined inspiratory muscular training (IMT) plus expiratory muscular training (EMT) program is effective in improving strength of the inspiratory and expiratory muscles, endurance of the inspiratory muscles, dyspnea, walking capacity, and ocurrence of respiratory complications after stroke.

Design: For this prospective, double-blinded, randomized clinical trial, people after stroke will be randomly allocated into either experimental or control/sham groups. The experimental group will undertake training of the inspiratory plus expiratory muscles with the Orygen Dual Valve, regulated at 50% of the subjects' maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MEP) values, seven times/week over eight weeks during 40 minutes/day. The control group will undertake the same protocol, but the participants will receive the devices without resistance. At baseline, post intervention, and four weeks after the cessation of the intervention, researchers blinded to group allocations will collect all outcome measures.

Study outcomes: Primary outcomes will be MIP. Secondary outcomes will include MEP, inspiratory endurance, dyspnea, walking capacity, and ocurrence of respiratory complications.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

36

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • MG
      • Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, 31270-901
        • Department of Physical Therapy, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
      • Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil, 31270-901
        • NeuroGroup Laboratory

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

20 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Stroke survivors will be eligible if they: were >3 months and <5 years after their last episode of stroke; were >20 years of age; their maximal inspiratory pressure was <80 cmH2O or maximal expiratory pressure was <90 cmH2O [18]; were not undertaking any respiratory training; and were able to provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

Subjects will be excluded if they had cognitive deficits, facial palsy, associated respiratory diseases, or unstable conditions which might prevent measurement or training; or undergone thoracic or abdominal surgery.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Respiratory training
Respiratory training will include training of the inspiratory and expiratory muscles seven times per week over eight weeks, during 40 minutes per day, divided into two 20-min sessions (morning and afternoon). Each 20-min session comprised 4-min sets of respiratory training, followed by 1-min rest between the sets. The training program will be carried-out with the Orygen Dual Valve device, regulated at 50% of the subjects' maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure values. Once a week, the treating physiotherapist performed a home visit, measured the current values of inspiratory and expiratory strength, and progressed the load to 50% of the new values.
Respiratory training will include training of the inspiratory and expiratory muscle seven times per week over eight weeks, during 40 minutes, divided into two 20-min sessions (morning and afternoon). Each 20-min session comprised 4-min sets of respiratory training, followed by 1-min rest between the sets. The training program will be carried-out with the Orygen Dual Valve regulated at 50% of the subjects' maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure values. Once a week, the treating physiotherapist performed a home visit, measured the current values of inspiratory and expiratory strength, and progressed the load to 50% of the new values.
Sham Comparator: Control
The control/sham group will underwent exactly the same protocol and weekly monitoring at home, but the participants will receive the devices without resistance of the spring, which will be also concealed. The control group will also attend the weekly sessions and undergo the same procedures, except for the load adjustments. If the training proves to be effective, the control subjects will be informed and have the choice to receive the training with proper loads.
The control/sham group will underwent exactly the same protocol and weekly monitoring at home, but the participants will receive the devices without resistance of the spring.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Maximal inspiratory pressure
Time Frame: Baseline (week 0), after training (week 8) and one-month follow-up (weeks 12)
Changes in maximal inspiratory pressures will be assessed by a digital manovacuometer, following previously described protocols.
Baseline (week 0), after training (week 8) and one-month follow-up (weeks 12)

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Maximal expiratory pressure
Time Frame: Baseline (week 0), after training (week 8) and one-month follow-up (weeks 12)
Changes in maximal expiratory pressures will be assessed by a digital manovacuometer, following previously described protocols.
Baseline (week 0), after training (week 8) and one-month follow-up (weeks 12)
Inspiratory endurance
Time Frame: Baseline (week 0), after training (week 8) and one-month follow-up (weeks 12)
Changes in inspiratory endurance will be assessed by the powerbreathe device, following previously described protocols.
Baseline (week 0), after training (week 8) and one-month follow-up (weeks 12)
Dyspnea
Time Frame: Baseline (week 0), after training (week 8) and one-month follow-up (weeks 12)
Changes in dyspnea will be assessed by the Medical Research Council Scale.
Baseline (week 0), after training (week 8) and one-month follow-up (weeks 12)
Ocurrence of respiratory complications
Time Frame: Baseline (week 0), after training (week 8) and one-month follow-up (weeks 12)
Changes in ocurrence of respiratory complications will be assessed by asking the participants, whether and how often they were admitted to a hospital, due to respiratory reasons.
Baseline (week 0), after training (week 8) and one-month follow-up (weeks 12)
Walking capacity
Time Frame: Baseline (week 0), after training (week 8) and one-month follow-up (weeks 12)
Changes in walking capacity will be evaluated by the six-minute walking test
Baseline (week 0), after training (week 8) and one-month follow-up (weeks 12)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Investigators

  • Study Director: Fatima Rodrigues-de-Paula, Ph.D., Federal University of Minas Gerais

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

February 1, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 30, 2017

Study Completion (Actual)

July 15, 2017

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 23, 2015

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 25, 2015

First Posted (Estimate)

March 26, 2015

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

October 26, 2017

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 24, 2017

Last Verified

October 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • RTS-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

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