A scoring system for capnogram biofeedback: preliminary findings

Labored breathing and irregularities in the breathing pattern may be assessed by capnography; and, an abnormal capnogram wave form may often be rectified with the help of capnogram biofeedback. Clinical experience suggests this may relieve dyspnea but to what degree, for how long and for what conditions have not been determined; the issue is complex and much remains to be discovered. The more that can be learned about the various capnogram irregularities, the more effectively such information will guide us in therapy and research. To this end a 15-category capnogram disordered breathing scale (Landis CDBS) was developed to provide a measure of disordered breathing. The CDBS score is the ratio of the total number of abnormal capnogram forms to the total number of capnogram configurations in the test sample, expressed as a percentage. The total score as well as an accounting of each abnormal scoring category was tabulated for each subject. In this retrospective and preliminary study, findings of a normal comparison group were compared with capnogram data for 3 clinical groups: asthma, anxiety/panic attacks, and patients with diverse stress-related somatic symptoms. Mean CDBS scores were: a low 14% for the Normal group compared with 64% for the Asthma group; 66% for the Anxiety patients; and 47% for the Somatic group. Each group was characterized by distinctive clusters of capnogram abnormalities. As there are methodological limitations to this small group study, the findings require validation. However, as an introduction to the scoring system and because of its potential clinical value we present this paper now.