Expiratory muscle training in chronic heart failure

The patient was advised to undertake a 10 week expiratory muscles training program with Threshold Positive expiratory preassure (Treshold PEP), which he was taught by a physiotherapist in the hospital and with which he continued at home. The Treshold PEP is a small respiratory device to which the patient breathes against resistance and strenghtens his expiratory muscles. This device is advised to be used half an hour every day for the duration of 10 weeks. Every patient recieves a plan based on their initial examination results. All patients, who refused expiratory muscle training were, with approval, included in the control group - it is consecutive group of patients. These patients went through identical initial and leaving examinations: anamnesis, clinical examination, spirometry, plethysmography, blood gas levels were determined and the patients also completed the modified Medical Research Council dyspnea questionnaires. A six-minute walk test (6-MWT) was performed with patients, also, the chest parameters in the mesosternale and xiphosternale level were measured.