Effect of Test Interface on Respiratory Muscle Activity and Pulmonary Function During Respiratory Testing in Healthy Adults: A Pilot Study.
Elaheh Sajjadi, Patrick C Mabe, Yasin B Seven and 1 others
PMID 36148286WHAT IT FOUND
In 12 healthy adults, peak cough flow was higher with a facemask than a mouthpiece.
Other lung measures varied too widely between interfaces to swap them during repeat testing.
Key findings
01Peak cough flow was higher with a facemask than with a mouthpiece in healthy adults.
02The agreement between mouthpiece and facemask results was poor enough that several values exceeded the study's 10% acceptable error margin.
03Left scalene muscle activity was higher with the facemask during coughing, while genioglossus activity was higher with the mouthpiece during maximal inspiration.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study included only 12 healthy adults, so it cannot show what happens in patients with lung, neuromuscular, or facial weakness. Participants had different amounts of experience with respiratory testing, which could have affected effort and muscle activity. The surface EMG signals were small and variable between people, so the muscle findings are uncertain. Neck fat can change the distance between electrodes and muscles. That can change signal strength. Music used to keep breathing relaxed can change breathing patterns, though each person heard the same music type. The study could not rule out age effects.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that a facemask improves cough strength in patients. The study included 12 healthy adults only, and the mouthpiece and facemask values were not close enough to be interchangeable.