Ovechkin Alexander, Moshonkina Tatiana, Shamantseva Natalia, Lyakhovetskii Vsevolod, Suthar Aastha, Tharu Niraj, Ng Alex, Gerasimenko Yury
Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.
Life (Basel). 2024 Nov 20;14(11):1518. doi: 10.3390/life14111518.
(1) Background: Neurological deficits associated with coronavirus disease (COVID-19) exacerbate respiratory dysfunction, necessitating rehabilitation strategies that address both. Previous studies have demonstrated that spinal cord transcutaneous stimulation (scTS) can facilitate the excitation of respiratory spinal neural networks in patients with post-COVID-19 syndrome. This study evaluates the efficacy of combining scTS with respiratory training (RT) to improve respiratory function in individuals with post-COVID-19 pulmonary deficits; (2) Methods: In this before-after, case-controlled clinical trial, five individuals with post-acute COVID-19 respiratory deficits participated in two interventional programs: 10 daily sessions of respiratory training (RT), followed by 10 daily sessions of scTS combined with RT (scTS + RT). Forced vital capacity (FVC), peak inspiratory flow (PIF), peak expiratory flow (PEF), time-to-peak inspiratory flow (tPIF), and time-to-peak expiratory flow (tPEF) were assessed at baseline and after each program; (3) Results: Compared to RT alone, the scTS + RT intervention resulted in an average effect size that was twice as large, with significant increases in FVC and PEF, and a significant decrease in tPEF; (4) Conclusions: The scTS-induced activation of respiratory neuronal networks, when combined with respiratory training, offers a promising therapeutic approach for treating persistent respiratory deficits in patients with post-acute COVID-19 syndrome.
（1）背景：与冠状病毒病（COVID-19）相关的神经功能缺损会加剧呼吸功能障碍，因此需要同时针对这两方面的康复策略。先前的研究表明，脊髓经皮刺激（scTS）可促进COVID-19后综合征患者呼吸脊髓神经网络的兴奋。本研究评估scTS与呼吸训练（RT）相结合对改善COVID-19后肺部功能缺损个体呼吸功能的疗效；（2）方法：在这项前后对照的病例对照临床试验中，五名急性COVID-19后呼吸功能缺损患者参与了两个干预方案：每天进行10次呼吸训练（RT），随后每天进行10次scTS联合RT（scTS+RT）。在基线时以及每个方案后评估用力肺活量（FVC）、吸气峰值流速（PIF）、呼气峰值流速（PEF）、达到吸气峰值流速的时间（tPIF）和达到呼气峰值流速的时间（tPEF）；（3）结果：与单独的RT相比，scTS+RT干预产生的平均效应大小是其两倍，FVC和PEF显著增加，tPEF显著降低；（4）结论：scTS诱导的呼吸神经网络激活与呼吸训练相结合，为治疗急性COVID-19后综合征患者的持续性呼吸功能缺损提供了一种有前景的治疗方法。
