Manual hyperinflation in children

Manual hyperinflation is used in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units to promote expiratory flow bias, but there is no consensus on the benefits of the technique. Thus, a review that presents supporting evidence is necessary. This study aims to review the literature on the manual hyperinflation maneuver in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units to analyze the evidence for this technique in terms of the forms of application (associated with other techniques or not), its safety, the performance of manual resuscitators and the influence of the physical therapist’s experience, in addition to evaluating the methodological quality of the identified articles. A search was performed in the following databases: Web of Science, ScienceDirect, PubMedⓇ, Scopus, CINAHL and SciELO. Two researchers independently selected the articles. Duplicate studies were assessed, evaluated by title and abstract and then read in full. The quality of the articles was analyzed using the PEDro scale. Six articles were included, two of which had high methodological quality. The main results provided information on the contribution of the positive end-expiratory pressure valve to increasing lung volumes and the use of chest compressions to optimize expiratory flow bias, the negative influence of operator experience on the increase in peak inspiratory flow, the performance of different manual resuscitators when used with the technique and the safety of application in terms of maintaining hemodynamic stability and increasing peripheral oxygen saturation. The available studies point to a positive effect of the manual hyperinflation maneuver in children who are admitted to intensive care units. Registration PROSPERO: CRD42018108056.