2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Is phasic electrical stimulation during expiration effective for breathlessness? Expansion of its application to patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Research Project

Project/Area Number	24700547
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Research Field	Rehabilitation science/Welfare engineering
Research Institution	Osaka Prefecture University
Principal Investigator	ITO Kenchi 大阪府立大学, 総合リハビリテーション学部, 准教授 (30342223)
Project Period (FY)	2012-04-01 – 2014-03-31
Keywords	慢性閉塞性肺疾患 / 電気刺激 / 呼息 / 息切れ / 換気効率
Research Abstract	The objective of this study was to ascertain the effect of phasic electrical stimulation during expiration (PESE) on breathlessness and ventilatory function in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The subjects were 24 patients with COPD. They were divided into a placebo and a PESE group. A 3-min rest and 5-min ergometer exercise were performed in each group under two conditions, namely with and without intervention. Breathlessness was evaluated based on Borg scale scores, and various ventilatory indicators were measured. The results show that PESE had no significant effect on breathlessness but improved ventilatory efficiency at rest and during exercise. PESE might not have alleviated breathlessness in this study because the subjects' breathlessness was mild.