Clinical experience with inspiratory resistive breathing training.

Seventy-seven outpatients with disabling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have been subjected to a 3-month regimen of inspiratory resistive breathing training using the PEP/RMT set (Astra Meditec). Pulmonary function and exercise tolerance on a cycle ergometer or the 12 min. walking distance were obtained pre- and post-training. A special dyspnoea scoring system was also applied. Sixty-three patients experienced significant benefit from training. Pulmonary function did not change, but a substantial increase in exercise tolerance and a decrease of dyspnoea were apparent, where training was successful.