Can ventilation-feedback training augment exercise tolerance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

Rationale: Exercise-induced dynamic hyperinflation contributes to decreased exercise tolerance in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). It is unknown whether respiratory retraining (ventilation-feedback [VF] training) can affect exercise-induced dynamic hyperinflation and increase exercise tolerance.

Objectives: To determine whether patients with COPD would achieve longer exercise duration if randomized to a combination of exercise training plus VF training than either form of training on its own.

Effect of ventilation-feedback training on endurance and perceived breathlessness during constant work-rate leg-cycle exercise in patients with COPD.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a unique program of ventilation-feedback training combined with leg-cycle exercise to improve exertional endurance and decrease perceived dyspnea in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Thirty-nine patients (67.5 +/- 8.