The effect of a pressure ventilatory support on quadriceps endurance is maintained after exercise training in severe COPD patients. A longitudinal randomized, cross over study.

In severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, the application of an inspiratory pressure support (IPS) during exercise increases exercise tolerance and the benefit of exercise training during pulmonary rehabilitation (PR). Moreover, it improves quadriceps endurance after a session of cycling exercise suggesting a reduced muscle fatigue. We looked for the persistence of this effect after PR and sought an association between the improved quadriceps endurance with IPS and the training load during PR.

Prevalence of a decreased FEV3/FEV6 ratio in symptomatic smokers with preserved lung function.

Background: The ratio of forced expiratory volume in 3 seconds to forced expiratory volume in 6 seconds (FEV3/FEV6) has been proposed as an index of peripheral airway disease, and could be decreased in patients at risk for COPD. However, the prevalence of FEV3/FEV6 decrease has never been assessed in patients attending a pneumology clinic. Here we set out to assess the prevalence of a decreased FEV3/FEV6 in smokers with symptoms of chronic bronchitis, and to test its predictive value for COPD diagnosis.

A TUG Value Longer Than 11 s Predicts Fall Risk at 6-Month in Individuals with COPD.

Risk of a fall is increased in individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and is usually evaluated using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), but this is difficult to perform in everyday clinical practice. We aimed to prospectively predict short-term fall recurrence in COPD patients using a predetermined cut-off value of the Timed Up and Go test (TUG). In stable COPD patients, we collected self-reported records of the number of falls in the previous year, and measured TUG and BBS scores for each individual.