PEP mask therapy for the rehabilitation of a pre-term infant with respiratory distress syndrome: a case report

BACKGROUND: Preterm infants can develop many complications related to organs underdevelopment. Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is considered the most important cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients. Traditional therapies for severe RDS, such as mechanical ventilation, come with a potential risk for pneumothorax and bronchopulmonary dysplasia while evidence on chest physiotherapy in preterm infants are controversial in terms of feasibility, tolerability and safety. The use of the positive expiratory pressure (PEP) mask is known in the pediatric field especially in cystic fibrosis for the removal of secretions and lung re-expansion. However, no literature exists on the application and effectiveness of this treatment modality for the respiratory rehabilitation of preterm infants. In this study, we aimed to assess the efficacy of a respiratory rehabilitation protocol based on PEP mask in a preterm infant with respiratory distress syndrome. CASE REPORT: A Caucasian girl born at 26 and 5 weeks of gestational age with respiratory distress syndrome was treated with mechanical ventilation, oxygen therapy and PEP-mask. CLINICAL REHABILITATION IMPACT: Three weeks of PEP mask led to a significant clinical and radiological improvement of the lung’s function with progressive reduction of the oxygen supplement and mechanical ventilation until complete weaning off. Given the absence of literature on this subject, further studies should be conducted to confirm these preliminary observations

Effects of a training protocol for the prevention of shoulder overuse syndrome in wheelchair rugby athletes: A pilot study

The growing popularity of paralympic sports and the improvement of infrastructure accessibility has led to an increase of disabled people regularly practicing sports. However, besides the beneficial effects of physical activity, these athletes have a higher risk of upper limb musculoskeletal overuse disorders. Despite this, the literature is still inconclusive about shoulder overuse injury etiology and prevention strategies. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of a training protocol to prevent shoulder overuse syndrome in wheelchair rugby (WR) athletes. A total of 12 athletes, affected by tetraplegia (50%), paraplegia (26%), paraparesis due to cerebral palsy (8%), transfemoral amputation (8%), and osteogenesis imperfecta (8%) were evaluated at baseline (T0) and after 4 weeks (T1) of a self-administrated exercise program. In addition, each subject underwent a dynamometric test of the biceps brachii, deltoid and pectoralis muscles. A significant increase of dynamometric values was evident at T1 in all tested muscles