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THE EFFECT OF CHEST PHYSIOTHERAPY UPON THE FEV 1 IN CHRONIC BRONCHITIS
Author(s) -
CAMPBELL ALASTAIR H.,
O'CONNELL JOHN M.,
WILSON FELICITY
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1975.tb111210.x
Subject(s) - bronchoconstriction , medicine , postural drainage , bronchodilator , salbutamol , chronic bronchitis , anesthesia , exacerbation , chest physiotherapy , sputum , physical therapy , bronchospasm , bronchitis , asthma , airway , tuberculosis , pathology
Chest physiotherapy, including posturing the patient head downwards while the chest is percussed and vibrated, was used in the treatment of patients with an exacerbation of chronic bronchitis. In seven patients the mean FEV 1 declined from 1.38 litres ± 0.39 to 1.25 litres ± 0.37 after postural drainage and percussion (P < 0.001). Twenty minutes later the FEV 1 rose to 1.37 litres ± 0.33. The mean decline in the FEV 1 was prevented by prior administration of salbutamol. The fall in the FEV 1 did not occur in 10 patients who received the postural tipping without chest percussion. Also it was not induced by coughing every two minutes during posturing. It was considered that the fall in FEV 1 after chest physiotherapy was due to bronchoconstriction caused by the chest percussion or vibration, particularly in patients with bronchoconstriction under basal conditions. The induced bronchoconstriction counterbalanced any improvement of the FEV 1 due to freeing the airways of sputum, but In two patients with moderate to copious sputum an improvement of the FEV 1 was repeatedly obtained in measurements made 20 minutes after the physiotherapy when the bronchoconstriction had presumably subelded. Although the immediate decline in FEV 1 was not large, it is considered inadvisable to employ chest percussion and vibration in sick patients unless a bronchodilator is administered previously.