Effects of home-based telerehabilitation-assisted inspiratory muscle training in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: A randomized controlled trial.

Background And Objective: There are few studies that have used inspiratory muscle training (IMT) as an intervention for patients with isolated idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). This study aimed to investigate and interpret the effects of home-based telerehabilitation-assisted IMT in patients with IPF.

Methods: Twenty-eight participants with IPF took part in the study. Lung function tests, functional exercise capacity by 6-min walk distance (6MWD), dyspnoea perception by modified medical research council dyspnoea scale (mMRC), and inspiratory muscle strength by maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP) were assessed. IMT was performed twice a day, 7 days/week, for 8 weeks. The intervention group (n = 14) performed IMT at 50% of their baseline MIP while the control group (n = 14) performed IMT without applied resistance. Loading intensity was progressed by keeping the load at 4-6 on a modified Borg scale for the highest tolerable perceived respiratory effort for each patient.

Results: Dyspnoea based on mMRC score (p < 0.001, η effect size = 0.48) significantly decreased within the intervention group compared with the control group. There were significant increases in the intervention group compared to the control group based on 6MWD (p < 0.001, η effect size = 0.43), MIP (p = 0.006, η effect size = 0.25) and MIP % predicted (p = 0.008, η effect size = 0.25).

Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that an 8-week home-based telerehabilitation-assisted IMT intervention produced improvements in inspiratory muscle strength, leading to improvements in functional exercise capacity and dyspnoea.