Abstract
This study aimed to determine the feasibility of recording speech breathing patterns before and after a six week Pulmonary Rehabilitation programme (PR) for patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and bronchiectasis. Fourteen patients with COPD (age 69 ± 9.64) and 6 patients with bronchiectasis (age 71 ± 6.15) were recruited from a respiratory outpatients department, and breathing patterns were recorded using Respiratory Inductive Plethysmography (RIP) during periods of quiet breathing, reading, counting and conversational speech, before and after a six week PR programme. Nine parameters were extracted from the recorded RIP signals: respiratory rate (bpm), inspiration and expiration time (s), inspiration and expiration magnitude (arbitrary units representing volume) and the regional percentage contributions of the ribcage and abdomen during inspiration and expiration. Clinical data, modified Borg scores, and Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT) data were retrieved from medical notes. Functional exercise capacity (ISWT) significantly improved following PR by 89 m for the group (t=-4.11, df=16, p=0.00). No clinically or statistically significant changes in breathlessness (Borg), or speech breathing parameters, were detected following PR during any of the speech tasks. This study has demonstrated the feasibility of collecting speech breathing pattern data outside laboratory conditions. No firm conclusions can be drawn from the findings because of the uncontrolled nature of the study. It is therefore too soon to know if speech breathing patterns will be a useful tool for the remote monitoring of respiratory health in future.
Highlights
Breathing is often the first vital sign to alter in an acutely deteriorating patient, because changes in breathing pattern accompany many respiratory [1,2,3] and non-respiratory disorders [4]
Demographic and lung function data have been presented according to primary diagnosis (COPD or bronchiectasis) and from pooled results (referred to as ‘patients with chronic respiratory disease (CRD)’) (Table 1)
We have established that the protocol is feasible within this patient group and that good data can be obtained outside the laboratory environment
Summary
Breathing is often the first vital sign to alter in an acutely deteriorating patient, because changes in breathing pattern accompany many respiratory [1,2,3] and non-respiratory disorders [4]. Abnormal breathing patterns have been observed in patients with chronic respiratory diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) [5], bronchiectasis [6] and asthma [7]. Monitoring changes in individual breathing pattern should provide useful information about changes in respiratory health. Clinicians are aware that patients in respiratory distress often find it difficult or impossible to speak in complete sentences [8,9,10,11]. Patients become more breathless during speech because of the competition imposed by communicational needs and respiratory demand [12,13]. We hypothesised that objective recording of breathing pattern during speech activities (known as speech breathing patterns) could provide a useful non-invasive system for monitoring the progress of respiratory patients, or as an outcome measure for therapeutic interventions
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
