Effect of sequential respiratory training on patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomized controlled clinical trial

Objective: To explore the effect of sequential respiratory training rehabilitation methods on the pulmonary function of patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Methods: This is a randomized controlled clinical trial. A total of 200 cases of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients were recruited from June 2014 to May 2015 in the respiratory medicine clinic, which were randomly divided into sequential breathing training group and control group. Forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEVI%), British Medical Research Council (mMRC) questionnaire, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Assessment Test (CAT) score, the number of acute exacerbation frequency were and 6-minute walk test (6MWT) were assessed after treatment for 3, 6 and 12 months. Results: During the 12-month follow-up period, a total of 170 patients had complete follow-up information. There were 85 patients both in sequential breathing training group and control group. In the experimental group, there were 59 males and 26 females, with an average age of (65.02 ± 7.84) years. In the control group, there were 64 males and 21 females, with an average age of (64.96 ± 7.02) years. After treatment for 3, 6 and 12 months, FEVI%, mMRC score, CAT score, the number of acute exacerbation frequency and 6MWT were all significantly improved in the experimental group than control group (p<0.05). Conclusion: Sequential breathing training therapy can better improve the pulmonary function of stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients and distinctly reduce the incidence of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which provides a basis for clinical rehabilitation. Trial registration: This study was registered in the Chinese Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ChiCTR-OPC-14005290). *Correspondence to: Mingxing Ding, Medical Molecular Biology Laboratory, School of Medicine, Jinhua Polytechnic, No.1188 Wuzhou Street, Jinhua 321007, Zhejiang, China, E-mail: mtd5tc@163.com