Inspiration Time: The Ultrasound Variable Necessary to Study the Diaphragm Functionality. A Cross-Sectional Controlled Study

Introduction The diaphragm is considered the main inspiratory muscle, and as such, its assessment is crucial in patients with respiratory pathology. It is known that the contractile capacity of a muscle is determined by strength, length, and the duration of contraction. Although transdiaphragmatic p...

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Main Authors: Teresa E Fernández-Pardo PT, MSc, PhD student, Maria Jesús Rodríguez-Nieto PhD, Mercedes Furió-Valverde PT, María García-Arrabé PT, MSc, PhD, Ana Mallo-Lopez PT, MSc, PhD student, Ignacio Mahillo-Fernández PhD, Germán Peces-Barba Romero PhD
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2025-04-01
Series:SAGE Open Nursing
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608251337591
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author Teresa E Fernández-Pardo PT, MSc, PhD student
Maria Jesús Rodríguez-Nieto PhD
Mercedes Furió-Valverde PT
María García-Arrabé PT, MSc, PhD
Ana Mallo-Lopez PT, MSc, PhD student
Ignacio Mahillo-Fernández PhD
Germán Peces-Barba Romero PhD
author_facet Teresa E Fernández-Pardo PT, MSc, PhD student
Maria Jesús Rodríguez-Nieto PhD
Mercedes Furió-Valverde PT
María García-Arrabé PT, MSc, PhD
Ana Mallo-Lopez PT, MSc, PhD student
Ignacio Mahillo-Fernández PhD
Germán Peces-Barba Romero PhD
author_sort Teresa E Fernández-Pardo PT, MSc, PhD student
collection DOAJ
description Introduction The diaphragm is considered the main inspiratory muscle, and as such, its assessment is crucial in patients with respiratory pathology. It is known that the contractile capacity of a muscle is determined by strength, length, and the duration of contraction. Although transdiaphragmatic pressure is the gold standard test for its study, ultrasound has been confirmed as a useful tool in clinical practice. Thanks to it, both the strength (diaphragmatic thickness) and the length of movement (diaphragmatic excursion) can be evaluated. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the inspiratory time and the diaphragmatic contraction. Design Cross-sectional controlled study. Methodology Eighty healthy subjects, yoga practitioners, with no previous respiratory pathology participated in this study. They were asked to take three different types of deep breaths: diaphragmatic with nasal inspiration, pursed-lip inspiration, and ujjayi (nasal inspiration with slight contraction of the glottis). The variables of thickness, excursion, and inspiratory contraction time were taken for each of them by ultrasound. Results Diaphragmatic contraction time is the only variable that shows a significant correlation with the other two. Thus, the correlation between inspiratory time and diaphragmatic thickness is significant ( p  < .001) for the three breaths: diaphragmatic (0.60), ujjayi (0.67), and pursed lips (0.39) and the correlation between inspiratory time and diaphragmatic excursion is significant for diaphragmatic breaths (−0.24, p  = .035) and ujjayi (0.27, p  = .017), but not in pursed lips (−0.01, p  = .90). Conclusion The inspiratory contraction time and the diaphragmatic excursion are two essential variables in the dynamic functional evaluation of the diaphragm, compared to the diaphragmatic thickness measurement that only reports its strength.
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spelling doaj-art-1a36ef8bc62f4dda807d8c79b8d8e06a2025-08-20T03:15:15ZengSAGE PublishingSAGE Open Nursing2377-96082025-04-011110.1177/23779608251337591Inspiration Time: The Ultrasound Variable Necessary to Study the Diaphragm Functionality. A Cross-Sectional Controlled StudyTeresa E Fernández-Pardo PT, MSc, PhD student0Maria Jesús Rodríguez-Nieto PhD1Mercedes Furió-Valverde PT2María García-Arrabé PT, MSc, PhD3Ana Mallo-Lopez PT, MSc, PhD student4Ignacio Mahillo-Fernández PhD5Germán Peces-Barba Romero PhD6 Physiotherapy Department, Ramón y Cajal University Hospital, Madrid, Spain Servicio de neumología, , Madrid, Spain Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Sports, European University of Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, Madrid, Spain Department of Physiotherapy, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Sports, European University of Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón, Madrid, Spain International Doctorate School, Rey Juan Carlos University, Madrid, Spain Unidad de Bioestadística y Epidemiología, IIS Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid, Spain Servicio de neumología, , Madrid, SpainIntroduction The diaphragm is considered the main inspiratory muscle, and as such, its assessment is crucial in patients with respiratory pathology. It is known that the contractile capacity of a muscle is determined by strength, length, and the duration of contraction. Although transdiaphragmatic pressure is the gold standard test for its study, ultrasound has been confirmed as a useful tool in clinical practice. Thanks to it, both the strength (diaphragmatic thickness) and the length of movement (diaphragmatic excursion) can be evaluated. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the inspiratory time and the diaphragmatic contraction. Design Cross-sectional controlled study. Methodology Eighty healthy subjects, yoga practitioners, with no previous respiratory pathology participated in this study. They were asked to take three different types of deep breaths: diaphragmatic with nasal inspiration, pursed-lip inspiration, and ujjayi (nasal inspiration with slight contraction of the glottis). The variables of thickness, excursion, and inspiratory contraction time were taken for each of them by ultrasound. Results Diaphragmatic contraction time is the only variable that shows a significant correlation with the other two. Thus, the correlation between inspiratory time and diaphragmatic thickness is significant ( p  < .001) for the three breaths: diaphragmatic (0.60), ujjayi (0.67), and pursed lips (0.39) and the correlation between inspiratory time and diaphragmatic excursion is significant for diaphragmatic breaths (−0.24, p  = .035) and ujjayi (0.27, p  = .017), but not in pursed lips (−0.01, p  = .90). Conclusion The inspiratory contraction time and the diaphragmatic excursion are two essential variables in the dynamic functional evaluation of the diaphragm, compared to the diaphragmatic thickness measurement that only reports its strength.https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608251337591
spellingShingle Teresa E Fernández-Pardo PT, MSc, PhD student
Maria Jesús Rodríguez-Nieto PhD
Mercedes Furió-Valverde PT
María García-Arrabé PT, MSc, PhD
Ana Mallo-Lopez PT, MSc, PhD student
Ignacio Mahillo-Fernández PhD
Germán Peces-Barba Romero PhD
Inspiration Time: The Ultrasound Variable Necessary to Study the Diaphragm Functionality. A Cross-Sectional Controlled Study
SAGE Open Nursing
title Inspiration Time: The Ultrasound Variable Necessary to Study the Diaphragm Functionality. A Cross-Sectional Controlled Study
title_full Inspiration Time: The Ultrasound Variable Necessary to Study the Diaphragm Functionality. A Cross-Sectional Controlled Study
title_fullStr Inspiration Time: The Ultrasound Variable Necessary to Study the Diaphragm Functionality. A Cross-Sectional Controlled Study
title_full_unstemmed Inspiration Time: The Ultrasound Variable Necessary to Study the Diaphragm Functionality. A Cross-Sectional Controlled Study
title_short Inspiration Time: The Ultrasound Variable Necessary to Study the Diaphragm Functionality. A Cross-Sectional Controlled Study
title_sort inspiration time the ultrasound variable necessary to study the diaphragm functionality a cross sectional controlled study
url https://doi.org/10.1177/23779608251337591
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