Slow-paced respiration therapy to treat symptoms in pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Lea Ann Matura, Jamison Fargo, Jason S Fritz and 8 others
PMID 27884398WHAT IT FOUND
Ten women with pulmonary hypertension on PAH medicines used a guided slow-breathing device daily before bed for eight weeks.
All completed the study and used it often. Some sleep measures and a blood inflammation marker showed small favorable changes, but the study cannot show benefit.
Key findings
01Ten women were enrolled, all completed follow-up, and adherence was 92.2% over 8 weeks.
02The device lowered reported breathing rate during sessions from an average initial 16.6 breaths per minute to a final 8.3 breaths per minute, with average session length 10.8 minutes.
03After adding the device to stable PAH therapy, wake time after sleep onset decreased by 3.7 units, IL-6 decreased from 1.3 to 1.2, and NE did not differ.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
Only 10 women were studied, with no control group, randomization, or blinding, so the changes could reflect time, attention, or other factors. The study was designed to test feasibility and generate estimates, not to prove the device worked. 80% were WHO functional class II, and baseline dyspnea and fatigue were mild, so there was little room for improvement. Blood samples for NE and IL-6 were highly variable, and some participants took beta blockers or diuretics that may affect NE. The sample was women only, so results may not apply to men.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 3.7 unit decrease in wake time or the IL-6 decrease as proof that slow breathing treats PAH symptoms. The study had 10 women, no control group, no randomization or blinding, and the device was added to ongoing PAH medicines, so the contribution of the device alone cannot be separated.