Biofeedback and progressive relaxation in weaning the anxious patient from the ventilator: a brief report

Weaning patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease from mechanical ventilators is occasionally a long and difficult process complicated by the patient's fear of losing his or her breath during the weaning procedure. A case is presented of an anxious 58-year-old man who was taught to relax using biofeedback and progressive relaxation during aerosol "T-piece" weaning trials. The relaxation effect was elicited by having the patient contract and relax specific muscle groups in a progressive manner, to experience the difference between the states. Ear oximetry served as physiologic feedback as well as a safety feature in the event of oxygen desaturation during exercise. During and after the exercises he felt secure breathing without the ventilator as measured by the physiologic parameters: heart rate, respiratory rate, and oxygen saturation determined by oximetry.