Reliability of diaphragm voluntary activation measurements in healthy adults
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Date
2021-03
Publication Type
Journal Article
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no
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Abstract
Voluntary activation can be used to assess central fatigue of the diaphragm after tasks such as exercise or inspiratory muscle loading. Cervical magnetic stimulation (CMS) of the phrenic nerves elicits an involuntary contraction, or twitch of the diaphragm. This twitch is quantified based on a measure of transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi) and can be used to evaluate diaphragm contractile function and diaphragm voluntary activation (diaphragm-VA). The test-retest reliability of diaphragm-VA using CMS is currently unknown. Thirteen participants (4M:9F; 25±3 years) performed a series of interpolated twitch manoeuvres, which included a maximal inspiratory effort against a semi-occluded mouthpiece and two CMS-stimuli, one during the inspiratory manoeuvre and one after when the participant returned to functional residual capacity to quantify diaphragm-VA. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and standard error of measurement (SEM) measured between-day and within-session reliability of diaphragm-VA, respectively. Maximal diaphragm-VA values were 90±8% (SEM: 3.8%) and 91±7% (SEM: 3.8%) during visits 1 and 2 (p=0.781), respectively, and displayed ‘excellent’ between-day reliability (ICC:0.98; 95%CI:0.96-1.00; SEM: 1.5%). Our results suggest that assessing diaphragm-VA using CMS is reliable in young healthy adults. Measuring diaphragm-VA may provide additional insight into the consequences and mechanisms of diaphragm fatigue. Novelty bullets: • Magnetic stimulation of the phrenic nerves can reliably measure voluntary activation of the diaphragm • Diaphragm voluntary activation can be used to provide additional insight into fatigability of the diaphragm.
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published
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Journal / series
Volume
46 (3)
Pages / Article No.
247 - 256
Publisher
Canadian Science Publishing
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Software
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Subject
diaphragm fatigue; voluntary activation; Cervical magnetic stimulation; respiratory physiology; interpolated twitch technique; reliability; fatigue du diaphragme; activation volontaire; stimulation magnétique cervicale; physiologie respiratoire; technique de contraction interpolée; fiabilité
Organisational unit
08691 - Spengler, Christina (Tit.-Prof.)