Long-term effect of respiratory training for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients at an outpatient clinic: a randomised controlled trial

Objective To assess the effect of respiratory training (RT) on lung function, activity tolerance and acute exacerbation frequency with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Design A randomised controlled trial. Setting Outpatient clinic and home of the COPD patients, Zhengzhou City, China. Subjects Sixty participants with COPD were randomised into two groups: an intervention group ( n = 30) which received the RT in self-management and a control group ( n = 30) that received an education program during the study. Intervention Pulmonary function, activity tolerance and frequency of acute exacerbation of these COPD patients were evaluated before and after the program. The intervention and control programs were delivered at monthly outpatient clinic visits over a period of 12 months. The pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program was conducted by a physiotherapist (who delivered RT to the participant over a minimum of 1 h per visit) for the intervention group, whereas the control group received routine health education provided by physiotherapists. The intervention group patients were then instructed to perform exercises at home as taught in the RT at least 5 days per week at home. Results After 12 months of RT, the lung function and the activity tolerance of the COPD patients in the intervention group were significantly improved and the exacerbation frequency was also decreased. Conclusion Long-term RT can improve lung function and activity tolerance while decreasing the frequency of acute exacerbation for COPD patients.