Respiratory muscle training improves respiratory muscle endurance but not exercise tolerance in children with cystic fibrosis

SummaryBackground Respiratory muscle endurance (RME) training has been shown to increase exercise endurance and lung function in adults with cystic fibrosis (CF). We conducted an interventional study to investigate the effectiveness of RME training on CF-related health outcomes in children. Methods In a crossover trial, 22 children, aged 9–18 years, with CF performed 8 weeks of RME training and standard chest physiotherapy in a randomized sequence separated by a 1 week washout period. All children underwent training sessions using the RME training device before beginning the study. The primary outcomes were RME (in minutes) and exercise endurance (in minutes). Data were analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle. Results Sixteen of 22 children (73%) completed the study. Study dropouts tended to be older with more advanced lung disease. After RME training, respiratory muscle endurance significantly increased by 7.03 ± 8.15 min (mean ± standard deviation, P