• Işık Gülşah Çıkrıkçı GÇ University of Health Sciences, Kecioren Training and Research Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: guls, Osman Lütfi Demirci, Şeref Kerem Çorbacıoğlu, and Yunsur Çevik.
• University of Health Sciences, Kecioren Training and Research Hospital, Department of Emergency Medicine, Ankara, Turkey. Electronic address: gulsahcikrikci.isik@sbu.edu.tr.
• Am J Emerg Med. 2020 Jan 1; 38 (1): 60-64.

AimThe aim of the study was to assess whether spinal immobilization with long back board (LBB) and semi-rigid cervical collar (CC) at 20° instead of 0° conserves pulmonary functions in obese volunteers, including forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1/FVC ratio.MethodsThe study included adult volunteer subjects with android-type obesity who were otherwise healthy. First, pulmonary functions were tested in a seated position to obtain baseline levels, than volunteers were immobilized with LBB and CC at 0-degree and measurements repeated at 0th and 30th minute of immobilization. Next day, same procedures were repeated with the trauma board at 20-degree. Changes over time in FEV1, FVC values and FEV1/FVC ratios during spinal immobilization at 0° and 20° were compared to baseline levels.ResultsStudy included 30 volunteers. Results showed a significant decline in all values for both situations following spinal immobilization (p < .001). We also compared the decrease over time in those values (ΔFEV1, ΔFVC, and ΔFEV1/FVC ratio) during spinal immobilization at 0° and 20°. The decrease in pulmonary functions was similar in both groups (p > .05).ConclusionThe present findings confirm that spinal immobilization reduces pulmonary functions in obese volunteers, and that 20-degree immobilization has no conservative effect on these values when compared to the traditional 0-degree immobilization. It may be that 20° is insufficient to decrease the negative effect of abdominal obesity on pulmonary functions.Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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