Effect Of External Diaphragm Pacing On Respiratory Function In Patients With Convalescent Stroke

Objective:To investigate the changes of respiratory function in stroke patients and the new methods of respiratory muscle training in stroke patients.To observe the effects of external diaphragm pacing on pulmonary ventilation function and respiratory muscle strength in convalescent stroke patients,and provide a basis for assessment of respiratory function and rehabilitation treatment of stroke patients.Methods :30 stroke patients who met the inclusion criteria were selected randomly divided into the control group(n=15)and the observation group(n=15).Both groups received routine rehabilitation therapy,while the observation group received diaphragm training with external diaphragm pacemaker additionally.Pulmonary ventilation function and respiratory muscle strength were measured with pulmonary function tester before and 4 weeks after treatment.Forced vital capacity(FVC),force expiratory volume in 1 second(FEV1),peak expiratory flow(PEF),maximal inspiratory pressure(MIP)and maximal expiratory pressure(MEP)were recorded.The collected data were processed by SPSS version 22.0 to analyze the changes of pulmonary ventilation function and respiratory muscle strength after external diaphragm pacing in stroke patients and the differences between the two groups.Result:(1)There was no statistical difference between the observation group and the control group.(2)The value of FVC,FEV1,PEF,MIP and MEP in both groups improved significantly four weeks after treatment(t > 5.075,Z =-3.366,P < 0.001).(3)After treatment,the FVC,FEV1,PEF,MIP of the observation group were improved more than the control group(t > 0.921,Z =-2.746,P < 0.05),while MEP had no significant difference compared with the control group(P > 0.05).Conclusion:Routine rehabilitation therapy can improve respiratory function in convalescent stroke patients.On the basis of routine rehabilitation,external diaphragm pacing training can improve pulmonary ventilation function and inspiratory muscle strength in stroke patients,but not in expiratory muscle.