Antonio F. Brunetto

Efeitos de programa de exercícios físicos direcionado ao aumento da mobilidade torácica em pacientes portadores de doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica

* Trabalho realizado na Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo – USP, Sao Paulo, SP. Apoio Financeiro: Universidade Paranaense e Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa (CNPq). 1. Mestre em Fisiopatologia Experimental. Doutoranda em Fisiopatologia Experimental. 2. Doutor em Fisiologia – UFRS. Descritores – DPOC. Mobilidade toracica. Qualidade de vida. Capacidade de exercicio. Dispneia.BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is detrimental to lung mechanics and peripheral muscles. The physical programs developed for this condition are usually targeted to an improvement on aerobics capacity. Programs that approach specifically the changes in thoracic mobility and thoracic muscles are rare. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of a physical exercise program designed to increase chest wall mobility on functional and psychosocial capacity in moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. METHODS: Thirty patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were studied. They were randomized to 2 groups: control group (CG) and treated group (TG). The CG was submitted to an educational program and the TG was submitted to an educational program plus a physical exercise program aiming to increase chest wall mobility. Variables included spirometry, thoracic mobility, quality of life, anxiety and depression levels and a six minute walk test (6MWT). RESULTS: After 2 months of training, only the TG presented improvements on chest wall mobility (from 4.20 ± 0.58 cm to 5.27 ± 0.58 cm; p = 0.05) and 6MWT (from 469.73 ± 31.99 m to 500.60 ± 27.38 m; p = 0.01). It was also observed that the TG presented improvement on the St. Georges Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) score, Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ), and Becks depression scale after 2 months of treatment. Pulmonary function did not improve either in the CG or in the TG group. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that exercises aimed to the increasing of chest wall mobility improve thoracic mobility, quality of life, submaximal exercise capacity, and reduce dyspnea and depression symptoms in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Comparing peak and sustained values of maximal respiratory pressures in healthy subjects and chronic pulmonary disease patients

BACKGROUND: The measurement of maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressures is useful for the evaluation of pulmonary function. However, the methods to obtain them are not always properly described. OBJECTIVE: To identify the difference between the peak pressure values (Ppeak, the highest pressure reached) and the sustained pressure (Pmaxs, the highest pressure sustained for one second) in MIP and MEP evaluation. METHOD: 55 healthy individuals and 50 patients who were taking part in a pulmonary rehabilitation program, all of them with chronic pulmonary disease, were studied by recording their best maximal inspiratory pressure and maximal expiratory pressure tests. The peak and sustained pressure values were compared and analyzed to determine whether there was a difference between them. RESULTS: The maximum inspiratory pressure records of healthy individuals showed that the maximal peak inspiratory pressure and the maximal inspiratory pressure found were, respectively, 102 ± 33 cmH2O and 92 ± 29 cmH2O (p < 0.001), and those of the patients participating in the pulmonary rehabilitation program were 75 ± 23 cmH2O and 67 ± 22 cmH2O (p < 0.001). The recorded values of maximal expiratory pressure, peak and maximal were 119 ± 42 cmH2O and 110 ± 39 cmH2O (p < 0.001), respectively, for healthy subjects, and 112 ± 40 cmH2O and 103 ± 36 cmH2O (p < 0.001) for the patients. CONCLUSION: There is a significant difference between Ppeak and Pmaxs, that can lead to different interpretations in the evaluation of the respiratory muscle strength. To minimize interpretation errors, the authors suggest the use of devices which record both values (peak and sustained).