The Cardiopulmonary effect of passive movement

Eleven articles were reviewed on the cardiopulmonary effects of passive movements. These included two articles on theneurological effects of passive movements. Of the eleven articles, four were considered to have level II evidence in accordance with Sackett’s rules of evidence. There was little consensus regarding the rate or duration of passive movements. There were some suggestions that upper limb movement produces a greater ventilatory response than lower limb movement. There was a statistically significant increase (p< 0.05) in minute ventilation when the movement was done at a rate of 40 repetitions per minute or more, but this change may not be clinically significant. Passive movements were not detrimental to neurosurgical patients with a normal or slightly elevated intracranial pressure, although the values of the intracranial pressure were not stated.  The studies were limited in that eight of the eleven had small sample sizes and most studies were conducted using normal subjects. Further studies with higher levels of evidence need to be  conducted to verify any results reported to date in the literature. Studies that are relevant to clinical practice also need to be conducted in populations such as sedated intensive care patients

Does physiotherapy reduce the incidence of postoperative complications in patients following pulmonary resection via thoracotomy? a protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background: Postoperative pulmonary and shoulder complications are important causes of postoperative morbidity following thoracotomy. While physiotherapy aims to prevent or minimise these complications, currently there are no randomised controlled trials to support or refute effectiveness of physiotherapy in this setting. Methods/Design: This single blind randomised controlled trial aims to recruit 184 patients following lung resection via open thoracotomy. All subjects will receive a preoperative physiotherapy information booklet and following surgery will be randomly allocated to a Treatment Group receiving postoperative physiotherapy or a Control Group receiving standard care nursing and medical interventions but no physiotherapy. The Treatment Group will receive a standardised daily physiotherapy programme to prevent respiratory and musculoskeletal complications. On discharge Treatment Group subjects will receive an exercise programme and exercise diary to complete. The primary outcome measure is the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications, which will be determined on a daily basis whilst the patient is in hospital by a blinded assessor. Secondary outcome measures are the length of postoperative hospital stay, severity of pain, shoulder function as measured by the self-reported shoulder pain and disability index, and quality of life measured by the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 v2 New Zealand standard version. Pain, shoulder function and quality of life will be measured at baseline, on discharge from hospital, one month and three months postoperatively. Additionally a subgroup of subjects will have measurement of shoulder range of movement and muscle strength by a blinded assessor. Discussion: Results from this study will contribute to the increasing volume of evidence regarding the effectiveness of physiotherapy following major surgery and will guide physiotherapists in their interventions for patients following thoracotomy. Trial registration: The study protocol is registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials registry (ANZCTRN12605000201673)

BluePort: A Platform to Study the Eosinophilic Response of Mice to the Bite of a Vector of Leishmania Parasites, Lutzomyia longipalpis Sand Flies

transmission in residents of endemic areas has been attributed to the acquisition of immunity to sand fly salivary proteins. One theoretical way to accelerate the acquisition of this immunity is to increase the density of antigen-presenting cells at the sand fly bite site. Here we describe a novel tissue platform that can be used for this purpose. sand flies. Results presented indicate that a shift in the inflammatory response, from neutrophilic to eosinophilic, is the main histopathological feature associated with the immunity acquired through repeated exposure to the bite of sand flies, and that the BluePort tissue compartment could be used to accelerate this process. In addition, changes observed inside the BluePort parenchyma indicate that it could be used to study complex immunobiological processes, and to develop ectopic secondary lymphoid structures.Understanding the characteristics of the dermal response to the bite of sand flies is a critical element of strategies to control leishmaniasis using vaccines that target salivary proteins. Finding that dermal eosinophilia is such a prominent component of the anti-salivary immunity induced by repeated exposure to sand fly bites raises one important consideration: how to avoid the immunological conflict derived from a protective Th2-driven immunity directed to sand fly saliva with a protective Th1-driven immunity directed to the parasite. The BluePort platform is an ideal tool to address experimentally this conundrum

Exercise capacity in pulmonary Tuberculosis

Aims: To determine the exercise capacity of patients suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis infection and then compare this value to the normal. To determine if the regression equation for TB is comparable to that of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). To provide guidelines for clinical practice of physiotherapy should exercise capacity be found to be reduced. Methods: Thirteen black, male subjects between the ages of 19 and 35 years were included in the study. Each subject completed the shuttle walking test in order to determine his VO2peak. This was then compared to historical data for VO2peak. A subgroup of five subjects took part in a treadmill test to calculate a regression equation for VO2peak for TB patients. Results: Exercise capacity, measured as VO2peak, is reduced by an average of 57% when compared to the normal.The mean (SD) VO2peak for this group of thirteen patients is 19.09 (8.19)ml/kg/min. The shuttle walking test is a valid and reliable test to determine the VO2peak of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Although a trend is evident the regression equation for pulmonary TB is based on a small sample size. Conclusion: Although the exercise capacity of patients with PTB is markedly reduced it does not seem to impact  on their function. Based on the above results, a preliminary recommendation is that a pulmonary rehabilitation program is not necessary for patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. Although not originally an aim of the study it isalso evident that the role of the physiotherapist with respect to pulmonary tuberculosis may be one of education

Physical Therapy Management for Adult Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: A Canadian Practice Survey

Purpose: To determine current Canadian physical therapy practice for adult patients requiring routine care following cardiac surgery