Abstract |
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the effects of air stacking training (AST) on pulmonary function and cough
efficiency in patients with spinal cord injury (SCI). Pulmonary function outcomes, including forced vital capacity (FVC),
forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), and peak cough flow (PCF), were analyzed to evaluate the clinical effectiveness
of AST. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. Three
randomized controlled trials with 80 participants were included. Data were synthesized using both random-effects and
fixed-effects models, and standardized mean differences (SMDs) and mean differences (MDs) were calculated.
Heterogeneity was assessed using the I² statistic, and the risk of bias was evaluated using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool.
Results: The results showed no significant differences in all outcomes. For FVC, random-effects analysis revealed an SMD
of 0. 23 (95% CI, −0. 32 to 0. 77, p=0. 41), and fixed-effects analysis showed an MD of 0. 27 (95% CI, −0.08 to 0.62, p=0.13).
For FEV1, random-effects analysis revealed an SMD of 0.10 (95% CI, −0.34 to 0.54, p=0.67), and fixed-effects analysis
showed an MD of 0.11 (95% CI, −0.33 to 0.55, p=0.63). For PCF, the random-effects analysis showed an SMD of −0.12
(95% CI, −0.56 to 0.32, p=0.58), and the fixed-effects analysis showed an MD of −16.31 (95% CI, −67.09 to 34.47, p=0.53).
Heterogeneity was low (I²=0%–33%). Conclusion: Although significant effects were not observed, AST demonstrated
potential for improving pulmonary function and cough efficiency in patients with SCI. Further high-quality RCTs with larger
samples and longer intervention periods are needed to validate these findings and optimize AST protocols. |