Effects of inspiratory muscle training on pulmonary functions and muscle strength in sedentary hemodialysis patients.
Heba A Bahey El-Deen, Fahad Salam Alanazi, Khaled Takey Ahmed
PMID 29581664WHAT IT FOUND
In 15 sedentary hemodialysis patients, 12 weeks of inspiratory muscle training during dialysis improved lung function and breathing muscle strength, but oxygen saturation and FEV1/FVC ratio did not.
No control group means training alone cannot be proven.
Key findings
01After treatment, FVC (%) improved by a mean difference of 12.2, FEV1 (%) by 15.6, and PEF (%) by 14.1, and these changes were significant.
02Respiratory muscle strength improved: PImax mean difference was 9.2 and PEmax mean difference was 14, and these changes were significant.
03FEV1/FVC (%) and SpO2 did not change significantly: mean differences were 7.5 and 0.8, with p-values 0.18 and 0.08.
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How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
The study had no control group, randomisation, or blinding, so improvement could be due to hemodialysis, natural variation, measurement effects, or other concurrent treatment. Only 15 patients were studied, all sedentary, unemployed, clinically stable, able to understand instructions, aged 45 to 65, and receiving regular hemodialysis with an arteriovenous fistula. The paper did not state a single primary outcome, so it is unclear which result was most important. The reported male and female counts differ between the methods and results sections. Measurements were taken only before and after 12 weeks, so there is no information about how long effects lasted.
Declared interests
The authors report no conflicts of interest. No funding source is stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that inspiratory muscle training alone improved pulmonary function or respiratory muscle strength. The study was a single group before and after intervention, with no randomised comparison, and the training was delivered during hemodialysis sessions, so hemodialysis, natural variation, or other concurrent care cannot be separated.