Device-guided Breathing for Shortness of Breath in COPD
Device-guided Breathing for Shortness of Breath in COPD
Although drug therapies and pulmonary rehabilitation have greatly improved COPD symptoms, as
 many as 50% of patients with severe COPD have inadequately controlled dyspnea. Device-guided
 breathing is a behavioral intervention that guides respiratory rates into a therapeutic
 range; prolongation of the expiratory phase improves hyperinflation, the most significant
 driver of dyspnea in this population. Device-guided breathing, has no known side-effects, and
 may represent a cost effective adjunctive treatment for dyspnea in severe COPD.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Current or former cigarette smokers of at least 10 pack-years

 -  Clinically significant dyspnea, as determined by a score of at least 2 on the Medical
 Research Council Dyspnea Score questionnaire (0-4), or through pulmonary function test
 results of a residual volume (RV) of > 150% predicted or an FEV1 of <65% predicted

 -  Clinical diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Unable to use the slow-breathing device due to hearing impairment

 -  Poor motivation or lack of interest in using the device

 -  Pulmonary Rehabilitation ordered as a new therapy at the time of enrollment