Abstract

Objective: to compare the adverse events from conventional chest physiotherapy and mechanical insufflationexsufflation in patients with exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and bronchiectasis (BQ), comparing length of hospitalization stay, bronchial secretion elimination and dyspnea reduction. Material and method: prospective, randomized and open study. Every patient received a 20 minute daily session, 5 days a week. Conventional chest physiotherapy group did several series with respiratory control, 10 repetitions of diaphragmatic and thoracic expansion exercises, 5 repetitions of forced expiratory technique and finished with directed cough, and mechanical insufflation-exsufflation group did 8 series of 6 cycles with 30/-30 cm H2O pressures in 1 s inspiration, 2 s expiration and 2 s pause between cycles and 2 minutes of rest between series. Results: 36 patients completed the study, 32 men and 4 women, 29 were admitted to hospital because of COPD and 7 because of BQ. There were not significant differences in the number of complications, neither severe nor mild. A woman with BQ in chest physiotherapy group (5 %) died because of the advanced stadium of the disease and 3 COPD subjects did not tolerate mechanical insufflation-exsufflation (15 %). There were not significant differences neither in the hospitalization duration nor in the secretion elimination. Dyspnea diminution was significant, it was higher in conventional chest physiotherapy and COPD groups (p = 0,007 for both). Conclusion: both techniques are safe to treat COPD and BQ exacerbation because no severe adverse event due to its use occurred, however, they don’t reduce the length of hospitalization stay and there is no difference in the reduction of dyspnea and bronchial secretion elimination.