Assessment of the Effect of an Inspiratory Muscle Training Regimen on Decannulation Time in Tracheostomized Subjects

Mechanical ventilation is a life-support intervention crucial for saving lives in ICU patients. However, its prolonged use leads to deterioration in respiratory muscle strength and endurance, causing diaphragm dysfunction. This weakening is associated with prolonged mechanical ventilation and increased difficulty in weaning the patient from the ventilator, known as "difficult weaning." It has been reported that up to 20% of ICU patients require tracheostomy due to this issue. Tracheostomy is an invasive procedure that involves creating an ostomy in the trachea to establish an artificial airway, allowing for ventilation, facilitating weaning from mechanical ventilation, and improving secretion management. However, muscle dysfunction from disuse and lack of effective respiratory muscle training extends the tracheostomy duration, leading to hospital-acquired infections, swallowing disorders, and increased ICU and hospital days. Thus, respiratory muscle training is a key tool for enabling tracheostomy removal (decannulation) and improving respiratory system efficiency. Since no universally accepted training protocol exists, it is not a common practice in ICUs worldwide, including our country. This project proposes that applying an individualized inspiratory muscle training regimen combining strength and endurance exercises for two weeks could improve respiratory muscle performance, reducing decannulation time (days from tracheostomy placement to removal).

The objective of this project is to assess the effect of an individualized inspiratory muscle training regimen, combining strength and endurance exercises for two weeks, on improving maximum inspiratory pressure, diaphragm thickness fraction, and its impact on successful decannulation time in patients with tracheostomy secondary to prolonged mechanical ventilation at HRLBO. Two groups of adult tracheostomized patients will be evaluated: an experimental group undergoing individualized inspiratory muscle training for 14 days plus standard physiotherapy, and a control group receiving standard physiotherapy and weaning guided by scheduled mechanical ventilation disconnection windows. Both groups will be compared in terms of decannulation time, ICU length of stay, hospital days, and quality of life survey scores. The study results will optimize the management of tracheostomized patients locally and nationally, reducing economic costs for both the country and patients and improving their quality of life, thus aiding in meeting some health objectives for the 2011-2020 decade.

Inclusion criteria

• Critically ill patients aged ≥ 18 years
• Connected to mechanical ventilation
• Secondary tracheostomy due to prolonged mechanical ventilation
• Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) > 11 points
• Level of cooperation score (S5Q) > 3 points

Exclusion criteria

• Limitation of therapeutic effort (LTE*)
• Pregnancy
• Transfer to another center before completing the training (2 weeks)
• Degenerative neuromuscular disease
• Refusal to participate in this study (declining to provide informed consent [IC]).