Effect of external diaphragmatic pacing therapy on patients with chronic cor pulmonale: a randomized, controlled trial

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of external diaphragmatic pacing (EDP) on patients with chronic cor pulmonale (CCP). METHODS: Fifty patients with CCP were enrolled in Kashgar Prefecture Second People’s Hospital in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China from 2016 to 2017. The patients were randomized into a group that received anti-CCP therapy (negative control group) or a group that received additional EDP treatment (EDP group). We recorded and compared maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP), maximal expiratory pressure (MEP), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), FEV1/FVC, and the 6-minute walking test between the two groups on the first and tenth days of treatment. RESULTS: Ten days after treatment began, MIP, FVC, and the 6-minute walking test were significantly improved in both groups. Importantly, MIP and FVC were significantly higher in the EDP group compared with the control group on the tenth day. CONCLUSION: In addition to treatment for CCP, these patients can obtain extra benefit by using EDP treatment.