NCT06381973

Ventilation Distribution in COPD Patients During Breathing Exercises

Influence of Airway Clearance Techniques on Ventilation Distribution in the Lateral Posture in COPD and Healthy Individuals

• Status: Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 50 (estimated)
• Sponsor: William Poncin, PT, PhD · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 40 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

ELTGOL (Slow Expiration with the Opened Glottis in the Lateral posture) is an airway clearance technique performed in the lateral decubitus position. This technique focuses on optimizing ventilation of the infralateral lung (when the subject is lying in the lateral posture) to enhance local air-liquid interaction. Previous studies on ventilation differences between the infra- and supralateral lungs were conducted on healthy, young, male subjects, without the application of thoracic or abdominal pressure. This study aimed to assess ventilation distribution in right lateral recumbency in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as healthy individuals, and investigate the impact of thoracic and abdominal manual pressures during ELTGOL on ventilation distribution.

Detailed description

Electrical impedance tomography will be used to verify the effect of the lateral posture and associated breathing techniques in COPD and healthy individuals. The subjects will be placed in a standardised position before the measurements begin. The subjects will be placed in a right lateral recumbency position. The protocol comprises four manoeuvres, each interrupted by a short rest phase. Each subject will begin the experiment with the spontaneous ventilation manoeuvre in order to obtain the reference ventilation distribution. This will be followed by four other manoeuvres during which ventilation was measured: 1) using an spirometer to obtain a tidal volume of 1L, 2) performing the ELTGOL technique independently, 3) performing the ELTGOL technique assisted by manual pressures applied by a physiotherapist. 4) using a positive expiratory pressure (PEP) device.

Conditions

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• Healthy

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	ELTGOL_Physio	The subject will be asked to slowly exhale with the glottis opened in the right lateral posture. The physiotherapist will accompany the subject by gently applying manual pressure on the chest wall and the abdomen during expiratory phases.
BEHAVIORAL	ELTGOL_Auto	The subject will be asked to slowly exhale with the glottis opened in the right lateral posture. The physiotherapist will not intervene in this arm.
DEVICE	PEP	The subject will be asked to exhale through a positive expiratory pressure (PEP) device (Threshold PEP) while being in the right lateral posture.
BEHAVIORAL	1L-Tidal-Breathing	The subject will be asked to breath with a fixed tidal-breathing of 1 liter per breath (monitored via a spirometer) while being in the right lateral posture.
BEHAVIORAL	Spontaneous Breathing	The subject will be asked to breath spontaneously while being in the right lateral posture.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-04-15
• Primary completion: 2025-11-01
• Completion: 2025-11-01
• First posted: 2024-04-24
• Last updated: 2025-05-21

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Belgium