Effectiveness of respiratory training in home-based pulmonary rehabilitation for elderly patients with stable COPD: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Introduction: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) brought a heavy risk of morbidity, hospital admission, and death. Respiratory training as an important part of pulmonary rehabilitation has not been validated in home-based elderly patients with stable COPD. This study aims to demonstrate the efficacy of a standardized respiratory training in home-based elderly patients with stable COPD. Methods: The prospective, randomized controlled trial will be designed and conduced in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chengdu Medical College (China National Nuclear Corporation 416 Hospital),China. Eligible patients with stable COPD will be randomly divided into experimental group and control group, both of the 2 groups will carry out regular home-based pulmonary rehabilitation for 3 months, additionally experimental group will receive a standardized respiratory training for 3 months. The primary outcome is the pulmonary function test before and after 3 months exercises. Discussion: The study will provide a objective basis for the use of respiratory training in home-based pulmonary rehabilitation for elderly patients with stable COPD.