INSPIRATORY MUSCLE TRAINING APPLIED TO PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE: SCOPE REVIEW

Abstract

Introduction: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is an airway obstruction that hinders proper breathing and causes various dysfunctions in the human body. Objective: To evaluate the effects of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) in patients with COPD, aiming to identify contemporary strategies employed and their results in the scientific literature. Methods: A scoping review of the literature, addressing the forms of IMT application, as well as load, frequency, and their effects. Articles from the last 5 years, covering clinical trials, were included. The databases consulted were Cochrane, Lilacs, Medline, and Pubmed. The descriptors used were "COPD," "Breathing Exercises," and "Respiratory Muscle Training," with the Boolean operator "and." The extracted data were organized into instruments developed by the authors. Results: Nine selected articles showed that the pulmonary rehabilitation program involving IMT offers positive effects when compared to a pulmonary rehabilitation program without IMT. Generally, the training occurs over a period of 3 to 8 weeks, 3 to 5 times per week, and the load starts at 30% of the maximum inspiratory pressure, being progressively increased according to patient adaptations. Conclusion: The studies indicated that IMT in the pulmonary rehabilitation program delivers significant results regarding dyspnea, functional capacity, inspiratory muscle strength, ventilatory pattern, cardiac autonomic modulation, balance, gait, and quality of life.