• Arnoldus J R van Gestel, Malcolm Kohler, Jörg Steier, Sebastian Teschler, Erich W Russi, and Helmut Teschler.
• Department of Pneumology, University Hospital Ruhrlandklinik, Essen, Germany. vrns@zhaw.ch
• Respiration. 2012 Jan 1; 83 (2): 115-24.

BackgroundConventional pulmonary rehabilitation programs improve exercise tolerance but have no effect on pulmonary function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The role of controlled breathing using respiratory biofeedback during rehabilitation of patients with COPD remains unclear.ObjectivesTo compare the effects of a conventional 4-week pulmonary rehabilitation program with those of rehabilitation plus controlled breathing interventions.MethodsA randomized controlled trial was performed. Pulmonary function (FEV1), exercise capacity (6-min walking distance, 6 MWD), health-related quality of life (chronic respiratory questionnaire, CRQ) and cardiac autonomic function (rMSSD) were evaluated.ResultsForty COPD patients (mean±SD age 66.1±6.4, FEV1 45.9±17.4% predicted) were randomized to rehabilitation (n=20) or rehabilitation plus controlled breathing (n=20). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups regarding the change in FEV1 (mean difference -0.8% predicted, 95% CI -4.4 to 2.9% predicted, p=0.33), 6 MWD (mean difference 12.2 m, 95% CI -37.4 to 12.2 m, p=0.16), CRQ (mean difference in total score 0.2, 95% CI -0.1 to 0.4, p=0.11) and rMSSD (mean difference 2.2 ms, 95% CI -20.8 to 25.1 ms, p=0.51).ConclusionsIn patients with COPD undergoing a pulmonary rehabilitation program, controlled breathing using respiratory biofeedback has no effect on exercise capacity, pulmonary function, quality of life or cardiac autonomic function.Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

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