Active Cycle of Breathing Technique Versus Breathing Exercises in Post COVID-19 Patients
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61919/jhrr.v5i6.1926Abstract
Background: Post-ICU COVID-19 survivors frequently experience persistent dyspnea and impaired pulmonary function, creating a need for effective, scalable respiratory physiotherapy interventions (1,6,10). Objective: To compare the effects of Active Cycle of Breathing Technique (ACBT) plus breathing exercises versus breathing exercises alone on oxygen saturation and pulmonary function in post-COVID-19 patients. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, enrolling 48 adults (18–50 years) with PCR-confirmed COVID-19. Participants were randomized by sealed envelope into Group A (ACBT + breathing exercises; n=24) or Group B (breathing exercises; n=24). Interventions were delivered once daily for 15–30 minutes, six days/week for two weeks. Outcomes included SpO₂ measured by pulse oximetry and spirometric indices (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC) measured at baseline and two weeks. Between-group comparisons were performed using independent samples t-tests with p<0.05 considered significant. Results: Post-intervention values favored Group A across SpO₂, FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC with statistically significant between-group differences (p<0.05), indicating superior improvement when ACBT was added to breathing exercises. Conclusion: Breathing exercises improved oxygenation and pulmonary function in post-COVID-19 patients, and ACBT provided additional benefit across key physiologic measures over a two-week rehabilitation period.
Downloads
References
Akbari A, Fathabadi A, Razmi M, Zarifian A, Amiri M, Ghodsi A, et al. Characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes associated with readmission in COVID-19 patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Emerg Med. 2021.
Galiero R, Simeon V, Loffredo G, Caturano A, Rinaldi L, Vetrano E, et al. Association between renal function at admission and COVID-19 in-hospital mortality in southern Italy: findings from the prospective multicenter Italian COVOCA study. J Clin Med. 2022;11(20):6121.
Ghodsi A, Sarabi M, Malek A, Khakshour A. Current treatment guidelines of SARS-CoV-2 related multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children: a literature review and expert opinion. J Child Sci. 2021;11(01):e133-e140.
Desmet K, Wacziarg R. Understanding spatial variation in COVID-19 across the United States. J Urban Econ. 2022;127:103332.
Ehsani F, Reshadat S, Masoudian N, Bagheri R. Evaluation of the relationship between daily physical activity level and laboratory factors and the length of hospitalization in patients with COVID-19. Middle East J Rehabil Health Stud. 2021;8(4).
Jiang F, Deng L, Zhang L, Cai Y, Cheung CW, Xia Z. Review of the clinical characteristics of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). J Gen Intern Med. 2020;35(5):1545-1549.
Alison JA, McKeough ZJ, Johnston K, McNamara RJ, Spencer LM, Jenkins SC, et al. Australian and New Zealand pulmonary rehabilitation guidelines. Respirology. 2017;22(4):800-819.
Ateş G, Polat K. Measuring of oxygen saturation using pulse oximeter based on fuzzy logic. In: IEEE International Symposium on Medical Measurements and Applications Proceedings. IEEE; 2012.
Gonzalez-Gerez JJ, Bernal-Utrera C, Anarte-Lazo E, Garcia-Vidal JA, Botella-Rico JM, Rodriguez-Blanco C. Therapeutic pulmonary telerehabilitation protocol for patients affected by COVID-19 confined to their homes: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2020;21(1):1-9.
Zhu C, Wu Y, Liu H, Ban Y, Ma X, Zhang Z. Early pulmonary rehabilitation for SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia: experience from an intensive care unit outside of the Hubei province in China. Heart Lung. 2020;49(5):449-450.
Mahendru K, Pandit A, Singh V, Choudhary N, Mohan A, Bhatnagar S. Effect of meditation and breathing exercises on the well-being of patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection under institutional isolation: a randomized control trial. Indian J Palliat Care. 2021;27(4):490.
Kanchibhotla D, Saisudha B, Ramrakhyani S, Mehta DH. Impact of a yogic breathing technique on the well-being of healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. Glob Adv Health Med. 2021;10:2164956120982956.
Öner Cengiz H, Ayhan M, Güner R. Effect of deep breathing exercise with Triflo on dyspnoea, anxiety and quality of life in patients receiving COVID-19 treatment: a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Nurs. 2022;31(23-24):3439-3453.
Liu K, Zhang W, Yang Y, Zhang J, Li Y, Chen Y. Respiratory rehabilitation in elderly patients with COVID-19: a randomized controlled study. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2020;39:101166.
Dias LMS, Guimaraes FS, Leite CF, Paro FM, Annoni R, Oliveira ACO, et al. Physiotherapy practice for hospitalized patients with COVID-19. J Bras Pneumol. 2022;48.
Zhong J, Zhang S, Li C, Hu Y, Wei W, Liu L, et al. Active cycle of breathing technique may reduce pulmonary complications after esophagectomy: a randomized clinical trial. Thorac Cancer. 2022;13(1):76-83.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Liza Fayyaz, Iman Faryad, Aliya Siddique, Amina Ijaz, Muhammad Ejaz
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Public Licensing Terms
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Under this license:
- You are free to share (copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) for any purpose, including commercial use.
- Attribution must be given to the original author(s) and source in a manner that is reasonable and does not imply endorsement. If changes were made to the material, this must be indicated.
- No additional restrictions may be applied that conflict with the terms of this license.
For more details, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
