Researchers studied people with acute stroke who were hospitalized and had trouble breathing, specifically a forced vital capacity less than 80% of predicted. The group received a comprehensive mobile-based respiratory training program delivered via a WeChat platform, alongside their usual rehabilitation. The control group received conventional rehabilitation alone. The study lasted for two weeks.
Participants who used the mobile training program showed greater improvement in their forced vital capacity compared to the control group. The difference in lung capacity was 0.77 liters, a statistically significant result. Other measures like inspiratory and expiratory pressure also showed between-group differences favoring the training group. However, forced expiratory volume and peak expiratory flow did not show significant differences between the groups.
The program was found to be feasible and safe, with only mild, transient side effects like fatigue or dizziness reported. No serious adverse events occurred. While the results are promising for this specific group of patients, the study was small and conducted at a single hospital. Readers should understand that this is early evidence and does not yet prove the program is ready for widespread use without further testing.