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Murine Intrapulmonary Tracheal Transplantation: A Model for Investigating Obliterative Airway Disease After Lung Transplantation
Published on: November 10, 2023
Airway clearance techniques for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Christian R Osadnik1, Christine F McDonald, Arthur P Jones
1School of Physiotherapy, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia. crosadnik@students.latrobe.edu.au.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
|March 16, 2012
Summary
Airway clearance techniques (ACTs) are safe for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and show small benefits in acute exacerbations (AECOPD) and stable disease. While generally safe, the clinical benefits of ACTs in COPD may be modest.
Area of Science:
- Respiratory Medicine
- Pulmonology
- Clinical Trials
Background:
- Cough and sputum are common in COPD, linked to poor outcomes.
- Airway clearance techniques (ACTs) aim to clear sputum, but efficacy in acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) and stable COPD is uncertain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the safety and efficacy of ACTs in individuals with AECOPD and stable COPD.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including parallel and cross-over designs.
- Searched Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register and PEDro.
- Analyzed data separately for AECOPD and stable COPD, categorizing effects as immediate, short-term, or long-term.
Main Results:
- Twenty-eight studies with 907 participants were included; overall study quality was poor.
- In AECOPD, ACTs showed short-term reductions in need for ventilatory support, duration of support, and hospital length of stay.
- In stable COPD, ACTs showed short-term improvements in health-related quality of life and reduced long-term hospitalizations.
Conclusions:
- ACTs are safe for individuals with COPD and offer small clinical benefits.
- Consideration of ACTs for COPD patients in both acute and stable phases is warranted, though benefits may be modest.
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