Effects and Costs of Respiratory Muscle Training in Institutionalized Elderly People

University of Valencia

Status: Completed

Conditions: Cardiovascular Morbidity; Respiratory Morbidity; Syndrome; Institutionalization; Muscle Weakness

Treatments: Device: Threshold® Inspiratory Muscle Trainer (treatment).

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01759992

UV-INV-PRECOMP12-80293

H1335803152705 (Other Identifier)

Details and patient eligibility

About

The global loss of muscle mass and strength associated with aging is a cause of functional impairment and disability, particularly in the older elderly (>80 years). Respiratory function can be severely compromised if there is a decrease of respiratory (RM) strength complicated by the presence of comorbidities and physical immobility. In this context, the need for supportive services involves the need for long-term care and consequently the institutionalization.

Previous studies have shown that the increase of RM strength has positive healthy effects, such as the increase in functional capacity, the decrease in RM fatigue, the decrease of dyspnoea and the improvement of quality of life, both in healthy people and patients. Therefore, specific RM training may be regarded as a beneficial alternative to improve RM function, and thus prevent physical and clinical deterioration in this frail population.

Study hypothesis: The inspiratory muscle training (IMT) would improve respiratory muscle strength and endurance, exercise capacity and quality of life in an elderly population, who are unable to engage in general exercise conditioning.

Enrollment: 45 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 65+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• People aged > 65 years
• Barthel Index < 75 score
• Mini-mental state examination ≥ 20 score
• Inspiratory muscle weakness (MIP ≤ 30% predicted value)

Exclusion criteria

• Ability to independently walk more than 14 m
• Significant chronic cardiorespiratory diagnoses
• Acute cardiorespiratory episode during the 2 previous months
• Neurological, muscular, or neuromuscular problems interfering with the capacity to engage in the tests and training protocol
• Active smokers or former smokers (< 5 years)
• A terminal disease

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Factorial Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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45 participants in 2 patient groups

Control group

No Intervention group

Description:

Usual care

Treatment group

Experimental group

Description:

Participants will breathe against a load ≥ 50% of their baseline MIP, after which loads will increase according to the participant's tolerance across the remaining training period, using a Borg scale rating of 4 to 6 on perceived exertion as an indicator of adequate training intensity.

Treatment:

Device: Threshold® Inspiratory Muscle Trainer (treatment).