Acoustic and Volumetric Measurements in Order to Objectify Bronchial Congestion in Patients With Obstructive Respiratory Pathologies Within the Framework of Their Management in Respiratory Physiotherapy for Decongestion

Plain-language summary

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic respiratory disease defined by permanent airway obstruction. In this disease, a large part of the muscular work is taken up by breathing (fight against bronchial, parietal or fibrous resistances of the pulmonary tissue, reduction of the exchange surface), requiring a physiotherapeutic care. Physiotherapy management of "respiratory rehabilitation" includes 4 items: respiratory therapy for decongestion, muscle strengthening, improvement of endurance and therapeutic education. In this context, the techniques of de-cluttering aim to decrease the hydrodynamic resistance of the bronchial tree. A systematic evaluation of the patient's condition is carried out by the practitioners to assess, at the time of the session, the bronchial congestion. In addition to their knowledge of the history of the patient they are following and the result of the oximetry measurement, practitioners use several indicators to assess the patient's bronchial congestion and define their therapeutic approach: cough, sputum, oximetry and peak expiratory flow, pulmonary auscultation. Sound expertise remains delicate: even the most educated human auditory system is not physiologically capable of detecting some of the relevant information. The current quantification criteria are therefore not very objective, depend on the practitioner's expertise and do not allow recommendations to be made on the conduct of the session during the follow-up of patients. Consequently, the objectification of bronchial congestion is clearly part of the process of improving management. In this context, the MUKROBS project seeks to objectify the bronchial congestion of COPD patients during their management by means of respiratory physiotherapy techniques of de-congestion by means of expiratory flow modulation techniques. The Sybille device, designed, developed and validated in the framework of a previous project funded by the ANR VirtualChest, allows continuous, non-invasive and simultaneous measurements of sound and displacement information at specific points of the thoracic cage.

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