Abstract
Purpose :
Respiratory muscle training for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD) significantly improves maximum inspiratory pressure, exercise capacity, and health-related quality of life. However, because the activity of the diaphragm, the main respiratory muscle, cannot be easily monitored, it is difficult to train the breathing motion effectively at home.
In this study, for the purpose of future application, we measured the respiratory muscle activity (rEMG) near the diaphragm with a wearable dry electrode, built a system for wireless transmission and presentation to a tablet device, and examined the influence of visual feedback in healthy subjects.
Methods :
1)Eight healthy subjects took part in the experiments. They were equipped with a commercially available band-type respiratory sensor and measured simultaneously with rEMG. For chest and abdominal breathing, the minute breathing rates of both were compared.
2)In addition, another Eight subjects were asked to receive a mouthpiece-type training device that increased respiratory resistance, and compared the I-rEMG waveforms for 20 breaths with or without visual feedback.
Results :
1) A high correlation (r = 0.87 to 0.99) was obtained in the minute breathing rate between chest and abdominal breathing. Considering the location of the electrode, it was estimated that rEMG reflects the muscle activity of the diaphragm.
2) It was confirmed that the coefficient of variation of the respiratory amplitude with visual feedback was significantly lower by an average of 10% or more than without visual feedback.
Conclusions :
The results show that, under the condition of visual feedback from I-rEMG waveform, the respiratory control can be performed better with reproducibility.
This is a 2020 ARVO Annual Meeting abstract.