Effects of Active Cycle of Breathing Technique With and Without Acapella on Airway Clearance, Dyspnea and Pulmonary Function Test in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a non-communicable progressive and non-curable disease, characterized by persistent respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. It is potentially fatal and it is the fourth cause of death in the world. Active Cycle of Breathing Techniques can be used to mobilize and clear excess pulmonary secretions and to generally improve lung function Loosen and clear secretions from the lungs. Three main phases of Active Cycle of Breathing Techniques are Breathing Control, Deep Breathing Exercises or Thoracic Expansion Exercises and Huffing or Forced Expiratory Technique. Acapella is a small hand held device for airway clearance. It has both resistive and vibratory features, which help to loosen and clear secretions from chest. This causes the vibration and resistance to the airflow which is then transmitted to the lungs. The resistance to the airflow will help to keep the airways open to get air behind the sputum and help it move upwards. The vibrations will help to loosen secretions from airways and move them up more easily for effective chest clearance. We are conducting this study to check the effects of active cycle of breathing technique with or without acapella on airway clearance, dyspnea and pulmonary function test in COPD patients.

Study design will be randomized controlled trial. Research will be conducted at Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Teaching Hospital and National Hospital Gujrat. Written informed consent will be obtained. Patients will be allocated randomly in two groups. Subjects will meet the predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Questionnaire used as subjective measurements of dyspnea and sputum will be given and pulmonary function test values will be obtained prior to any intervention. One group will receive active cycle of breathing technique and the other group will receive active cycle of breathing technique with acapella device. Every subject will perform supervised ACBTs with and without acapella for four weeks. Three sessions per week will be given with 20 repetitions in two sets. At the end of 4 weeks treatment session, pulmonary function test values will be monitored and questionnaire will be obtained for dyspnea and sputum. Data will be analyzed on SPSS 25