CORRELATION OF DYSPNEA WITH AGE AND SPO2 LEVELS IN COVID-19 AND EFFECTIVENESS OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL FACILITATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF DYSPNEA-A RANDOMIZED CLINICAL CONTROL TRAIL

Abstract

Background & Purpose: Hypoxemia and dyspnea are the frequent causes of high mortality in COVID-19 patients. The aim of this study is to find the correlation between dyspnea with age, SPO2 levels in COVID-19 and find out the effectiveness of Neurophysiological facilitation of respiration techniques in reliving dyspnea and improving SPO2 levels in COVID-19. Methods: A total of 117 patients admitted into COVID-19 hospital are recruited in a single blinded randomized controlled trail. The participants are randomly assigned into experimental group (n=59) and control group (n=58). The experimental group was given physiotherapy in the form of Neurophysiological facilitation of Respiration (NPF), Active cycle of Breathing technique (ACBT) and accupressure. The control group was given physiotherapy in the form of light aerobic exercises, ACBT and accupressure. The levels of dyspnea and SPO2 were assessed pre intervention and after 10 days of treatment. Results: There was a weak positive correlation between Levels of Dyspnea and age (r=0.0385) p>0.05, which is not statistically significant . There was a strong negative correlation between dyspnea and SPO2 levels (r=0.7579) p < 0.05, which is statistically significant. The experimental group showed better and statistically significant improvement in levels of dyspnea and SPO2 in comparison with control group. Conclusion: There is a weak positive correlation between levels of dyspnea with age, strong negative correlation with SPO2 levels in COVID-19 patients. We also conclude that Neurophysiological facilitation improves levels of dyspnea and SPO2 in COVID-19 patients. KEYWORDS: Dyspnea, COVID-19, NPF, Physiotherapy.