Abstract
Objectives
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of external diaphragmatic pacing (EDP) on patients with chronic cor pulmonale (CCP).
Methods
Fifty patients with CCP were enrolled in Kashgar Prefecture Second People's Hospital in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China from 2016 to 2017. The patients were randomized into a group that received anti-CCP therapy (negative control group) or a group that received additional EDP treatment (EDP group). We recorded and compared maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC, and the 6-minute walking test between the two groups on the first and tenth days of treatment.
Results
Ten days after treatment began, MIP, FVC, and the 6-minute walking test were significantly improved in both groups. Importantly, MIP and FVC were significantly higher in the EDP group compared with the control group on the tenth day.
Conclusion
In addition to treatment for CCP, these patients can obtain extra benefit by using EDP treatment.