Consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on lung cancer care and patient health in a German lung cancer center: results from a cross-sectional questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has caused a global COVID-19 pandemic, leading to worldwide changes in public health measures. In addition to changes in the public sector (lockdowns, contact restrictions), hospitals modified care to minimize risk of infection and to mobilize resources for COVID-19 patients. Our study aimed to assess the impact of these measures on access to care and behaviour of patients with thoracic malignancies. METHODS: Thoracic oncology patients were surveyed in October 2020 using paper-based questionnaires to assess access to ambulatory care services and tumor-directed therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, behaviour regarding social distancing and wearing of face masks were assessed, as well as COVID-19 exposure, testing and vaccination. Results are presented as absolute and relative frequencies for categorical variables and means with standard deviation for numerical variables. We used t-test, and ANOVA to compare differences in metric variables and Chi2-test to compare proportions between groups. RESULTS: 93 of 245 (38%) patients surveyed completed the questionnaire. Respiration therapy and physical therapy were unavailable for 57% to 70% of patients during March/April. Appointments for tumor-directed therapy, tumor imaging, and follow-up care were postponed or cancelled for 18.9%, 13.6%, and 14.8% of patients, respectively. Patients reported their general health as mostly unaffected. The majority of patients surveyed did not report reducing their contacts with family. The majority reduced contact with friends. Most patients wore community masks, although a significant proportion reported respiratory difficulties during prolonged mask-wearing. 74 patients (80%) reported willingness to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2. CONCLUSIONS: This survey provides insights into the patient experience during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Munich, Germany. Most patients reported no negative changes to cancer treatments or general health; however, allied health services were greatly impacted. Patients reported gaps in social distancing, but were prepared to wear community masks. The willingness to get vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 was high. This information is not only of high relevance to policy makers, but also to health care providers.

Management of Childhood Obesity-Time to Shift from Generalized to Personalized Intervention Strategies.

As a major public health concern, childhood obesity is a multifaceted and multilevel metabolic disorder influenced by genetic and behavioral aspects. While genetic risk factors contribute to and interact with the onset and development of excess body weight, available evidence indicates that several modifiable obesogenic behaviors play a crucial role in the etiology of childhood obesity. Although a variety of systematic reviews and meta-analyses have reported the effectiveness of several interventions in community-based, school-based, and home-based programs regarding childhood obesity, the prevalence of children with excess body weight remains high. Additionally, researchers and pediatric clinicians are often encountering several challenges and the characteristics of an optimal weight management strategy remain controversial. Strategies involving a combination of physical activity, nutritional, and educational interventions are likely to yield better outcomes compared to single-component strategies but various prohibitory limitations have been reported in practice. This review seeks to (i) provide a brief overview of the current preventative and therapeutic approaches towards childhood obesity, (ii) discuss the complexity and limitations of research in the childhood obesity area, and (iii) suggest an Etiology-Based Personalized Intervention Strategy Targeting Childhood Obesity (EPISTCO). This purposeful approach includes prioritized nutritional, educational, behavioral, and physical activity intervention strategies directly based on the etiology of obesity and interpretation of individual characteristics.

Electrophysiological and Clinical Improvement in Non-Invasive Treatment of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common form of nerve entrapment. Clinically, various signs and symptoms compare due to overexposure to mechanical vibrations transmitted to the wrist bones and cartilage, resulting in compression of the sensory and motor nerve fibers of the median nerve. Early symptoms include nocturnal paresthesia and electromyography reveals reduced sensory nerve conduction velocity. Aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a dietary integrator composed of acetyl-L-carnitine, α-lipoic acid, quercetin, bromelain, pantothenic acid, C and B1 and B2 and B6 and B12 vitamins in patients with early (minimal) carpal tunnel syndrome. METHODS: 36 patients (28 female and 8 male) with early CTS characterized by sensory nerve demyelination and inflammation of the transverse carpal ligament. Patients were divided into two groups, group A (18 patients received physical therapy) and group B (18 patients received physical therapy and an oral integrator). Clinical (sleep quality questionnaire to measure severity of paresthesia) and neurophysiological assessment (Sensory Nerve Conduction Velocity) performed at baseline, and then at 30 and 60 days after treatment. RESULTS: Sleep quality and Sensory Nerve Conduction Velocity data analysis show improvement in both groups at 30 and 60 days, with statistical difference between them in both time of analysis. CONCLUSION: In the early CTS, with sensory fibers damage, use of dietary integrator, such as Micronil Dol®, composed of acetyl-L-carnitine, α-lipoic acid, quercetin, bromelain, pantothenic acid, C and B1 and B2 and B6 and B12 vitamins can be effective in quick recovery of median nerve sensory.

Correlation of disease comorbidity with prescribed treatment among insured U.S. lymphedema patients.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to define the current forms of treatment in a contemporary population of lymphedema (LED) patients for LED related to breast cancer, the most prevalently diagnosed LED comorbidity in Western countries, and phlebolymphedema with venous leg ulcer (PLEDU), a sequela of chronic venous disease. The goals of LED therapy are to reduce edema, thereby improving function and related symptoms, and to improve skin integrity to prevent development of infection. Treatment is generally nonsurgical: conservative care, including complex physical therapy, manual lymphatic drainage, and compression bandaging; or pneumatic compression device (PCD) therapy by a simple nonprogrammable device or an advanced programmable device. METHODS: To determine the frequency of individual types of treatment for LED and their relationship to breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) and PLEDU, we queried claims from a deidentified Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act-compliant commercial administrative insurance database with >165 million members. A total of 26,902 patients identified with LED who had been enrolled with continuous medical benefits for 12 months before and after the index date for the complete years 2012 through 2016 were separated into four treatment categories: no treatment, conservative care, simple PCD (SPCD), and advanced PCD. LED treatment was related to the BCRL and PLEDU comorbidities. RESULTS: BCRL patients, who represented 32.1% of all study patients, made up 41% of all patients receiving conservative care and 24% of patients receiving PCD therapy. By contrast, PLEDU patients (9.6% of study patients) were proportionally under-represented in the conservative care group (7.8%) but composed a disproportionately high share of the PCD therapy group (17.7%). PLEDU patients represented 23.5% of all LED patients prescribed SPCD therapy, whereas BCRL patients composed 10.3% of total LED patient SPCD prescriptions (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis of a large health care administrative database showed clear differences between the way BCRL and PLEDU patients are treated. Compared with BCRL patients, PLEDU patients were less likely to receive conservative care and more likely to be prescribed SPCDs for pneumatic compression therapy. These differences suggest that lymphatic therapy may be undervalued for treatment of chronic venous swelling and prevention and treatment of PLEDU.

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: An Analysis of the Current Treatment Options.

BACKGROUND: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a multifaceted disease that can present with a variety of types of pain. Unfortunately, both the mechanisms and treatments for pain are poorly understood. The proposed treatments for the various musculoskeletal pain syndromes in EDS have had variable success, and it becomes much more imperative to better define and evaluate the current treatment modalities in treating this debilitating disease. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate the currently available treatment modalities for patients with EDS and their efficacies in pain and symptom relief. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Institutional physical medicine and rehabilitation primary care clinic. METHODS: All patients were seen between January 2015 and April 2019, in which 98 patients with EDS were identified through retrospective chart review. Institutional review board approval was obtained, and all patients provided written consent to be included in the study. We reviewed various treatment modalities, including complimentary/alternative treatments, opioids/opioid-like medications, nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, physical therapy, occupational therapy, muscle relaxants, neuropathic modulators, steroids, surgery/procedures, and acetaminophen. Treatment methods were extracted from individual patient charts, and efficacy was grouped into 3 categories: improvement, no effect, or worsened symptoms. RESULTS: The most common treatments used were complimentary/alternative treatments (n = 88). Occupational therapy and bracing were the most effective options with 70% of patients reporting improvement. Neuropathic modulators were the least well tolerated with 47% of patients reporting adverse effects. LIMITATIONS: Men were a small percentage of the study. Patients were not randomized, and pain score reporting was subjective. Patient data were extracted from a single practice setting. Timing and symptom onset were not measured. CONCLUSIONS: There is a relative paucity of published literature regarding the various treatment methods for EDS. Although our study is able to identify positive and negative trends with certain modalities, it is vital to understand that EDS is not a uniform diagnosis among patients, and that a combination of several different treatments usually is needed for optimal symptom control. Further research and investigation are necessary to develop a comprehensive treatment database for this complex condition. KEY WORDS: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, pain, hypermobility, arthralgia, subluxation, genetic, physical therapy, interventional pain.

Standardization of rehabilitation program for post-apoplectic limb spasm treated by Tongjing Tiaoxing tuina and scalp acupuncture with physical therapy.

BACKGROUND: Tong Jing Tiao Xing tuina (TJTX) is a Chinese massage method. Excising with scalp acupuncture (ESA) is a treatment combining scalp electroacupuncture with physical therapy (PT), and yinao fujian formula (YNFJ) is a Chinese oral herbal granule medicine. The combination of the 3 methods is called the "Zhishen Tiaoxing" (ZSTX) rehabilitation program, which is used as an alternative of limb spasm after stroke. There is little available evidence demonstrating its safety and efficacy. METHODS: This will be a subject-blind, randomized controlled trial conducted in 3 medical centers. It will strictly follow the Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture, 2010. We will recruit 316 patients with limb spasm after stroke, 200 from the Affiliated Hospital of Changchun University of Chinese Medicine, Changchun, China, 80 from the Second Affiliated Hospital of Heilongjiang University of Chinese medicine, Harbin, China, and 36 from Huashan Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, China. A block randomization sequence stratified by centers will be generated using SAS Version 9.2 software (SAS Institute, Cary, NC, USA), which was performed at the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine's Key Unit of Methodology in Clinical Research. The treatment group is treated with TJTX (once a day), ESA (once a day), and oral YNFJ (twice a day). The control group will be treated with PT. Two groups of patients will be treated 5 sessions a week for 4 weeks, and there will be 6-month follow-up. The outcome evaluators will be blinded to patient grouping. The primary outcome will be modified Ashworth scales. The secondary outcome indexes will be the simplified Fugl-Meyer assessment scale, surface electromyogram root mean square value, modified Barthel index, stroke-specific quality of life scale, health scale of traditional Chinese medicine, visual analogue scale (VAS), and the Hamilton depression scale. DISCUSSION: The Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) mainly aim to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of traditional Chinese medicine rehabilitation program, by comparing the treatment of ZSTX with the PT for the treatment of limb spasm after stroke. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry: ChiCTR 1900024255. Registered on July 3, 2019.

What Are the Costs of Cervical Radiculopathy Prior to Surgical Treatment?

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective, observational study. OBJECTIVE: To examine the costs associated with nonoperative management (diagnosis and treatment) of cervical radiculopathy in the year prior to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: While the costs of operative treatment have been previously described, less is known about nonoperative management costs of cervical radiculopathy leading up to surgery. METHODS: The Humana claims dataset (2007-2015) was queried to identify adult patients with cervical radiculopathy that underwent ACDF. Outcome endpoint was assessment of cumulative and per-capita costs for nonoperative diagnostic (x-rays, computed tomographic [CT], magnetic resonance imaging [MRI], electromyogram/nerve conduction studies [EMG/NCS]) and treatment modalities (injections, physical therapy [PT], braces, medications, chiropractic services) in the year preceding surgical intervention. RESULTS: Overall 12,514 patients (52% female) with cervical radiculopathy underwent ACDF. Cumulative costs and per-capita costs for nonoperative management, during the year prior to ACDF was $14.3 million and $1143, respectively. All patients underwent at least one diagnostic test (MRI: 86.7%; x-ray: 57.5%; CT: 35.2%) while 73.3% patients received a nonoperative treatment. Diagnostic testing comprised of over 62% of total nonoperative costs ($8.9 million) with MRI constituting the highest total relative spend ($5.3 million; per-capita: $489) followed by CT ($2.6 million; per-capita: $606), x-rays ($0.54 million; per-capita: $76), and EMG/NCS ($0.39 million; per-capita: $467). Conservative treatments comprised of 37.7% of the total nonoperative costs ($5.4 million) with injections costs constituting the highest relative spend ($3.01 million; per-capita: $988) followed by PT ($1.13 million; per-capita: $510) and medications (narcotics: $0.51 million, per-capita $101; gabapentin: $0.21 million, per-capita $93; NSAIDs: 0.107 million, per-capita $47), bracing ($0.25 million; per-capita: $193), and chiropractic services ($0.137 million; per-capita: $193). CONCLUSION: The study quantifies the cumulative and per-capital costs incurred 1-year prior to ACDF in patients with cervical radiculopathy for nonoperative diagnostic and treatment modalities. Approximately two-thirds of the costs associated with cervical radiculopathy are from diagnostic modalities. As institutions begin entering into bundled payments for cervical spine disease, understanding condition specific costs is a critical first step. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 3.

Effects of inspiratory muscle training on postural stability, pulmonary function and functional capacity in children with cystic fibrosis: A randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Previous research has found conflictive results regarding the benefits of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Also, involvement of postural stability is a rising concern in chronic lung diseases but its role in CF patients is poorly understood. Our aim was to investigate the effects of IMT in CF patients as well as analysing the factors which may be related to postural stability. METHODS: Thirty-six children aged between 8 and 18 years with CF were randomly allocated to either "comprehensive chest PT" group (PT) or "IMT alongside comprehensive chest PT" group (PT+IMT). Both groups trained for 8 weeks. Dynamic and static postural stability tests on Biodex Balance system®, spirometry, respiratory muscle strength and 6-min walk distance (6MWD) was assessed at baseline and after 8 weeks of training. Determinants of postural stability was also analysed on baseline values. RESULTS: Maximum expiratory pressure (MEP) was found to be an independent predictor for overall limits of stability (LOS) score explaining %26 of variance (R = 0.514, p = 0.003). Overall LOS score, FVC, FEV1, peak expiratory flow, MEP and 6MWD significantly improved in both groups, with no significant differences between groups. Maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP) also improved in both groups but the magnitude of improvement in MIP was greater in PT+IMT group (38 cmH2O vs 13 cmH2O; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Combining IMT with chest PT failed to provide further improvements, except for MIP, suggesting that a comprehensive chest PT program may be individually effective in improving overall LOS score, spirometry, respiratory muscle strength and 6MWD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.ClinicalTrials.gov; registration number: NCT03375684.

Effectiveness of manual therapy in COPD: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials.

PURPOSE: Manual therapy (MT) has been proposed in pulmonary rehabilitation programmes for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but an updated systematic review of the evidence is lacking. We aimed to systematically review the effectiveness of MT interventions, alone or added to exercise, on lung function, exercise capacity and quality of life in COPD patients, compared to other therapies (e.g. exercise alone) or no treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases, using the terms: COPD, manual therapy, manipulation, joint mobilisation, osteopathic manipulation. Only randomised controlled trials (RCT) were considered. RESULTS: Out of 555 articles screened, 6 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The study designs were heterogeneous (with different intervention schedules) and there was a high risk of bias. No effect on lung function was found, while results on exercise capacity were contrasting. MT had no effect on quality of life, although valid measures were available only in one study. Only mild adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Few RCTs of poor methodological quality are available on the effects of MT in COPD. More and better quality RCTs are needed before this technique can be included in rehabilitation programmes for these patients.

Roller Massage: A Descriptive Survey of Allied Health Professionals.

BACKGROUND: In sports medicine, the interprofessional care of athletes has become a frequent practice. This type of care often involves different interventions used among professionals. One common intervention prescribed is roller massage (RM) or self-myofascial release. The trends in the use of RM among allied health professionals are nonexistent. The surveillance of such responses has not been documented. PURPOSE: To survey and document responses in the knowledge, clinical application, and use of RM devices among allied health professionals in the United States. DESIGN: Cross-sectional descriptive survey study. METHODS: A 20-question survey was sent to allied health professionals including physical therapists, athletic trainers, and fitness professionals. The survey covered topics such as demographics, beliefs about RM, preferred devices, exercise prescription, and client education. RESULTS: One thousand and forty-two professionals (N = 1042) completed the survey. Most respondents believed that RM decreases pain (82%) and increases mobility (76%). A high percentage use a foam roller in their practice (81%), recommend a full-size foam roller (49%), and believe the medium density (48%) is the most effective. A high proportion of respondents prescribe RM for injury treatment (69%) and for preexercise and postexercise (61%). They also recommend rolling daily for 30 seconds to 2 minutes per muscle group (33%) at a self-paced cadence (46%). A high percentage of respondents use patient-reported outcomes (74%), joint range of motion (49%), and movement-based testing (48%) to measure effects of RM. Eighty-seven percent use live instruction to educate clients, and 88% believe there is a gap in the research. CONCLUSION: The results of this survey document responses in the use of RM among allied health professionals. The reported responses provide insight into how professionals are using RM as an intervention and the potential gaps between the research and professional practice. Future studies are needed to further validate these findings.

En fisioterapia ¿Todo lo que penetra es invasivo? / In physiotherapy... are all penetrations invasive?

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[New aspects of neurorehabilitation: motor and language]. / Neues zur Neurorehabilitation: Motorik und Sprache.

Advancements in medical care over the last decades have contributed to a continuous decline in immediate post-stroke mortality. The flipside of this development is that patients surviving the initial stroke are forced to live with sometimes extreme functional motor and/or language limitations for the remaining life span. The following overview presents evidence-based neurorehabilitative interventions to promote motor and language recovery in the acute and chronic post-stroke stages. Therapeutic approaches comprise intensive training, neuropharmacological drugs and non-invasive brain stimulation techniques, such as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) or direct current stimulation (tDCS). Additionally, an outlook on promising future interventions for stroke neurorehabilitation is provided.

Actualización sobre los efectos de los estiramientos en la lumbalgia: una revisión sistemática / Update on the effects of stretching in low back pain: a systematic review

Objetivo: Analizar la literatura científica actual para conocer los efectos de los estiramientos en pacientes con lumbalgia. Estrategia de búsqueda: La búsqueda se llevó a cabo en enero de 2014 en Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, WOS, LILACS y PubMed. Selección de los estudios: Se obtuvieron un total de 350 artículos publicados entre 2009 y 2014, y aplicando los criterios de inclusión y exclusión, 12 fueron válidos para la revisión. Resultados: En muchos de los artículos seleccionados se realizaron estiramientos de la musculatura de la cadena posterior, en uno de ellos se hizo estiramiento del tejido nervioso, y otro comparó estiramientos musculares con movilización neural. Conclusiones: Los estiramientos, en general, obtienen resultados positivos. La calidad metodológica de los artículos analizados fue baja, por lo que serían necesarios más estudios de mejor calidad y con tamaños de muestra más amplios que verificasen los buenos resultados

Objective: To analyze the current scientific evidence to know the effects of stretching in patients with low back pain. Research strategy. The research was carried out in January 2014 using Medline, CINAHL, Scopus, WOS, LILACS and PubMed. Study selection: A total of 350 papers, published between 2009 and 2014, were review. Of these, 12 were finally selected for review after applying the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: Stretching of posterior muscle chain was done in many of the articles. In one article, the nervous tissue was stretched, and in another, muscle stretching was compared with neural mobilization. Conclusions: In general, stretching resulted in positives results. The methodological quality of the papers analyzed was low. Therefore, more studies with better quality and larger samples sizes are needed to verify the good results

The Bobath (NDT) concept in adult neurological rehabilitation: what is the state of the knowledge? A scoping review. Part II: intervention studies perspectives.

OBJECTIVE: The study's purpose was to describe the range of knowledge pertaining to the Bobath (NDT) concept in adult neurological rehabilitation, synthesizes the findings, identify knowledge gaps and develop empirically based recommendations for future research. METHODS: A scoping review of research and non-research articles published from 2007 to 2012. Two independent reviewers selected studies based on a systematic procedure. Inclusion criteria for studies were electronically accessible English language literature with Bobath and/or Neurodevelopmental Therapy as the subject heading in the title/keyword/abstract/intervention comparison with respect to adult neurological conditions. Data were abstracted and summarized with respect to study design, theoretical framework, clinical application including population representation, study fidelity, intervention comparison, duration of care, measurement and findings. RESULTS: Of the 33 publications identified 17 were intervention studies (11 RCT's/1 prospective parallel group design/5 N-of-1). One other paper was a systematic review. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention studies, primarily RCT designs, have serious methodological concerns particularly related to study/treatment fidelity and measurement resulting in no clear clinical direction. Aspects such as theoretical framework, therapist skill, quality of movement measurement and individualized interventions require careful consideration in the design of Bobath studies. Implications for Rehabilitation Future intervention studies should be based on the current Bobath theoretical framework and key aspects of clinical practice. Study and treatment fidelity issues need to be carefully considered when interpreting the results of existing RCT's evaluating the Bobath concept. N-of-1 randomized, observational, factorial and mixed method study designs should be considered as alternative study options.

[Technological advances in neurorehabilitation]. / Avances tecnológicos en neurorrehabilitación.

Neurological rehabilitation arose as formal method in the 60's, for the therapeutic treatment of patients with stroke or spinal cord injury, which develop severe sequelae that affect their motor and sensory abilities. Although the Central Nervous System has plasticity mechanisms for spontaneous recovery, a high percentage of patients should receive specialized therapies to regain motor function, such as Constraint Induced Movement Therapy or Upright physical Therapy. The neurorehabilitation has undergone drastic changes over the last two decades due to the incorporation of computer and robotic electronic devices, designed to produce positive changes in cortical excitability of the cerebral hemisphere damaged and so to improve neuroplasticity. Among equipment, we can mention those for electrotherapy devices, apparatus for transcranial magnetic stimulation, the robotic lower limb orthoses, robot for upper limb training, systems for functional electrical stimulation, neuroprosthesis and brain computer interfaces. These devices have caused controversy because of its application and benefits reported in the literature. The aim of Neurorehabilitation technologies is to take advantage of the functional neuromuscular structures preserved, and they compensate or re-learn the functions that previously made the damaged areas. The purpose of this article is to mention some clinical applications and benefits that these technologies offer to patients with neuronal injury.

Myofascial low back pain treatment.

Myofascial pain is a common musculoskeletal problem, with the low back being one of the commonest affected regions. Several treatments have been used for myofascial low back pain through physical therapies, pharmacologic agents, injections, and other such therapies. This review will provide an update based on recently published literature in the field of myofascial low back pain along with a brief description of a sequenced, multidisciplinary treatment protocol called Skilled Hands-on Approach for the Release of myofascia, Articular, Neural and Soft tissue mobilization (SHARANS) protocol. A comprehensive multidisciplinary approach is recommended for the successful management of individuals with myofascial low back pain.

Variabilidade da frequência cardíaca durante a utilização de espirômetros de incentivo / Heart rate variability while using incentive spirometers

Fundamentos: Devido à influência da respiração sobre o sistema autonômico, alguns estudos têm avaliado a variabilidade da frequência cardíaca (VFC) durante a realização de técnicas utilizadas pela fisioterapia respiratória. Objetivos: Avaliar e comparar os efeitos da execução da espirometria de incentivo (EI) a fluxo e a volume na VFC de indivíduos saudáveis. Métodos: Estudo prospectivo cruzado, com 33 voluntários (25,88±4,65 anos). Os indivíduos realizaram EI a fluxo e a volume de forma randomizada. A VFC foi registrada em um único dia durante cinco momentos: repouso inicial, primeiro EI, repouso, segundo EI e repouso final, com duração de 5 minutos cada um. Foram analisadas as variáveis pNN50 e rMSSD. A comparação entre os efeitos da EI a fluxo e a volume na VFC foi realizada pelo ANOVA two way, seguida da análise post hoc pelo teste de Tukey, quando necessário. As diferenças foram consideradas significativas quando p<0,05.Resultados: O pNN50 aumentou significativamente durante ambos EI quando comparado aos seus respectivos tempo de repouso inicial (fluxo: 8,11±7,31%vs. 13,12±7,15 % p<0,001; volume: 7,12±5,39 % vs. 13,44±6,79 %, p<0,001). O mesmo ocorreu com o índice rMSSD (fluxo: 36,56±19,34 ms vs. 50,91±20,48 ms, p<0,001; volume: 34,93±13,48 ms vs. 50,75±18,93 ms, p<0,001). Entretanto, não houve diferenças significativas entre os tipos de EI. Conclusão: A realização da EI ocasiona aumento da modulação vagal de indivíduos saudáveis, que ocorre de forma similar nos dispositivos a fluxo e a volume.

Background: Due to the influence of breathing on the autonomic system, some studies have evaluated heart rate variability (HRV) while using respiratory physiotherapy techniques. Objectives: To assess and compare the effects of flow-oriented (FIS) and volume-oriented (VIS) incentive spirometry on HRV in healthy subjects. Methods: A crossover prospective study with 33 volunteers (25.88 ± 4.65 years old). The subjects underwent FIS and VIS randomly. Their HRV was recorded during a day at five moments: initial rest, first incentive spirometry, at rest, second incentive spirometry and final rest, with each phase lasting five minutes. The pNN50 and rMSSD variables were analyzed, comparing the effects of FIS and VIS on HRV through two-way variance analysis, followed by post-hoc analysis using the Tukey test, when necessary. Differences were considered significant when p<0.05.Results: During both incentive spirometry sessions, the pNN50 increased significantly compared to the respective initial rest time (FIS: 8.11±7.31% vs. 13.12±7.15%, p<0.001; VIS: 7.12±5.39% vs. 13.44±6.79%, p<0.001;) The same occurred with the rMSSD rating (FIS: 36.56±19.34ms vs. 50.91±20.48ms, p<0.001; VIS: 34.93±13.48ms vs. 50.75±18.93ms, p<0.001). However, there were no significant differences between the types of incentive spirometry. Conclusion: Incentive spirometry causes increased vagal modulation in healthy individuals, occurring similarly in the flow and volume devices.