Does the Airmax® internal nasal dilator increase peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) in adolescent athletes?

Nasal dilators are being developed for the purpose of increasing air flow in the nasal valve. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of the internal nasal dilator (IND) by adolescent athletes.

A double-blind, crossover clinical trial in which we evaluated 54 adolescents using experimental and placebo INDs, submitted to a cardio-respiratory test in randomized order. The predicted values for the peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) were obtained and the intensity of dyspnea was evaluated using the visual analog scale method after the race.

In relation to PNIF (% predicted), when participants used the experimental IND, significantly higher means were found in comparison with the placebo (104.27±24.67L/min and 97.73±25.61L/min, respectively) (p=0.010). There were no significant differences observed in terms of heart rate (HR), pulse oximetry (SpO2) and maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), before and after the cardio-respiratory test. There was also no significant difference (p>0.05) between the use of experimental and placebo INDs on dyspnea scale measurements after completion of the cardio-respiratory test.

Results suggested that the Airmax® IND improves nasal patency, as measured by PNIF, in healthy adolescent athletes. There was no statistically significant difference in the values for heart rate and SpO2. There was also no difference between the conditions tested for the mean VO2max. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate the effect of IND in adolescent athletes with chronic diseases, such as asthma and allergic rhinitis, and also using other cardio-respiratory assessment methods.