Pulmonary rehabilitation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with hyperinflation of the lungs

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We found in healthy human subjects that the thresholds for dyspnea and respiratory frequency were similar during hypercapnia. A positive correlation was found between the thresholds. Dyspnea is a very important symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD). Lung hyperinflation is a physiologic abnormality in patients with COPD. It progresses dynamically during exercise, contributing to the occurrence of dyspnea and thereby limiting the capacity of exercise. Based on our findings, the resultant dyspnea potentially worsens hyperinflation in COPD because tachypneic breathing patterns likely decrease the duration of expiration and lead to worsening of air trapping. We then found that thixotropy conditioning of chest wall muscles by means of a new device increased the chest wall mobility in the xiphisternal region in COPD patients particularly with lung hyperinflation. In contrast, this conditioning decreased the intensity of dyspnea during a 6-min walk test in COPD patients without lung hyperinflation.