SynthesisFrontiers in medicine2025
Effects of pulmonary rehabilitation combined with inspiratory muscle training on lung function and exercise capacity in older patients with COPD: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Frontiers in medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT07575841 (Comparative Efficacy of a Supervised Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program Performed 3 Days/Week Versus 1 Day/Week in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), which is not on this map. Cited by 10 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Comparative Efficacy of a Supervised Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program Performed 3 Days/Week Versus 1 Day/Week in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): a Randomized Clinical Trial
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Inspiratory Muscle Training plus Pulmonary Rehabilitation versus Rehabilitation alone in COPD A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials.F1000Research · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of inspiratory muscle training on inspiratory muscle strength and exercise tolerance in patients with COPD: a meta-analysis and systematic review.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of combined inspiratory muscle training and positive expiratory pressure therapy on pulmonary function, respiratory muscle strength, exercise capacity and dyspnea in stable group E COPD patients.BMC pulmonary medicine · 2026Trial
- Patient perspectives on harmonica playing as an intervention for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a qualitative study.BMJ open · 2026Trial
- Short-term inspiratory muscle training, aerobic exercise, and detraining in women with COPD: a randomized controlled trial.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Inspiratory Muscle Training for Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Narrative Review.Cureus · 2026Review
- Review
- Body mass index-related heterogeneity in diaphragm thickening fraction response to exercise training in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.Frontiers in physiology · 2026Article
- Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Pulmonary rehabilitation is central to COPD management, with inspiratory muscle training (IMT) as a key component. However, evidence is inconsistent on whether combining PR with IMT offers added benefits for older COPD patients. Objective: To evaluate the comparative effects of PR combined with IMT versus PR alone on key outcomes in older COPD patients, including quality of life [St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ)], exercise tolerance [6-min walk distance (6MWD)], respiratory muscle strength [maximal inspiratory pressure (PImax)], and pulmonary function metrics (FEV Methods: A systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library (January 2005-January 2025) identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) meeting criteria: (1) participants were ≥ 55 years old with GOLD stage II-IV COPD; (2) interventions compared PR combined with IMT versus PR alone; (3) outcomes included PImax, FEV Results: Nine RCTs (582 patients) were included. Compared with PR alone, PR combined with IMT did not improve 6MWD (SMD = 0.15, 95% CI: -0.11-0.42; low-quality evidence) or SGRQ scores (SMD = -0.19, 95% CI: -0.38-0.01, low-quality evidence). PImax improved moderately (SMD = 0.78, 95% CI: 0.44-1.13, I Conclusion: Low-quality evidence indicates that PR combined with IMT improves respiratory muscle strength (PImax) in older COPD patients versus PR alone, with no significant benefit for exercise capacity (6MWD) or lung function. For older COPD patients, ≥ 12-week PR combined with IMT interventions (sessions > 60 min; weekly duration ≥ 180 min) may enhance PImax. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/view/CRD420251010168, CRD420251010168.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.