Respiratory care
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Mechanical Insufflation-Exsufflation Versus Conventional Chest Physiotherapy in Children With Cerebral Palsy.
The cough mechanism is often impaired in children with quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy, accounting for the high prevalence of pneumonia and atelectasis requiring prolonged hospitalization. Conventional chest physiotherapy (CPT) is a current technique recommended at the onset of lower-respiratory infections in cerebral palsy. Previous studies have demonstrated the usefulness of mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (MI-E) in children with neuromuscular disease. To date, there has been no study of MI-E in children with quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy. The objective of the study is to compare the efficacy in reducing hospital stay and improvement of atelectasis between MI-E and CPT in children with quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy with lower-respiratory infections. ⋯ MI-E is proven to be beneficial in shortening the duration of airway clearance in children with quadriplegic spastic cerebral palsy presenting with lower-respiratory infections and atelectasis. MI-E is a safe and efficient intervention for airway clearance.