Banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO: WERMESON GLEITON DE MOURA FERREIRA

Uma banca de QUALIFICAÇÃO de MESTRADO foi cadastrada pelo programa.
STUDENT : WERMESON GLEITON DE MOURA FERREIRA
DATE: 10/07/2026
TIME: 13:30
LOCAL: REMOTO
TITLE:

EFFECTS OF POSITIVE EXPIRATORY PRESSURE (PEP) ON RESPIRATORY DISTRESS AND RESPIRATORY RATE IN INFANTS HOSPITALIZED WITH PNEUMONIA: A RANDOMIZED, CONTROLLED, BLINDED CLINICAL TRIAL

KEY WORDS:

physical therapy modalities; pediatrics; patients rooms; pneumonia; infant.

PAGES: 48
BIG AREA: Ciências da Saúde
AREA: Fisioterapia e Terapia Ocupacional
SUMMARY:

Introduction: Pneumonia clinically manifests with cough, tachypnea,
respiratory distress, and increased secretion production, factors that
contribute to airway obstruction and worsening of the clinical condition.
Currently, no reliable conclusions can be drawn regarding the use of
respiratory physiotherapy in children with pneumonia due to the limited
number of studies available, the heterogeneity of the included studies, and
the high risk of performance bias. Objective: To evaluate the effects of
positive expiratory pressure (PEP) on respiratory rate and respiratory distress
in infants with pneumonia admitted to a pediatric ward. Methods: This is a
multicenter, randomized, controlled, and blinded clinical trial. The sample will
consist of 84 infants with a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia and their
respective legal guardians. Participants will be randomly allocated to either
the control group (CG) (PEP set at 0 cmH2O) or the intervention group (IG)
(PEP set at 5 cmH2O). Assessments were performed before (T0),
immediately after (T1), and 30 minutes after the intervention (T2). The primary
outcomes were respiratory rate (RR) and respiratory distress, assessed using
the Wood-Downes-Ferrés Scale. Secondary outcomes included heart rate
(HR), peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2), pulmonary auscultation findings,
volume of secretions removed, monitoring of adverse events, level of
intervention acceptance assessed by the FLACC Scale, and parental
perspectives collected through semi-structured interviews. The study was
approved by the Research Ethics Committee of UFRN/FACISA (protocol no.
8,055,753) and registered in the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC)
under registration number RBR-5bdqznf. Partial Results: To date, 16 infants
have been enrolled in the study (CG, n = 8; IG, n = 8). Both groups showed
an equal sex distribution, with four males (50%) and four females (50%) in
each group. Mean age was 8.92 ± 5.05 months in the CG and 7.89 ± 6.19
months in the IG. All participants completed the study protocol. Transient
increases in RR were observed in both groups (CG: 39.75 ± 5.99, 49.13 ±
9.53, and 39.25 ± 6.96; IG: 44.38 ± 13.36, 50.50 ± 10.19, and 40.75 ± 9.48).
Wood-Downes-Ferrés Scale scores indicated mild respiratory distress
throughout the study period in both groups (CG: 2.75 ± 0.70, 3.13 ± 1.13, and
2.50 ± 0.92; IG: 3.62 ± 1.92, 3.63 ± 1.06, and 2.25 ± 1.38). Transient
increases in HR were also observed (CG: 129.75 ± 17.44, 147.63 ± 18.73,
and 132.75 ± 16.00; IG: 145.13 ± 18.59, 143.00 ± 21.58, and 135.13 ± 13.41).
SpO2 remained stable throughout all assessment points (CG: 94.13 ± 3.44,
95.63 ± 3.33, and 96.13 ± 2.85; IG: 95.50 ± 3.25, 94.75 ± 2.18, and 94.75 ±
2.31). Pulmonary auscultation findings improved in both groups. At T0,
crackles predominated in the CG (75%), whereas rhonchi were more frequent
in the IG (62.5%). By T3, the absence of adventitious lung sounds was
observed in 62.5% of participants in the CG and 75% in the IG. Mean
intervention acceptance scores were 4.63 ± 2.56 in the CG and 5.00 ± 0.75 in
the IG, indicating the presence of moderate pain or discomfort during the
procedures. Furthermore, no adverse events were observed at any stage of
the study. No inferential statistical analyses were performed due to the small
sample size.

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
Interna - 2291421 - KARLA MORGANNA PEREIRA PINTO DE MENDONCA
Presidente - 2966742 - KAROLINNE SOUZA MONTEIRO
Externo à Instituição - TACITO ZAILDO DE MORAIS SANTOS - UFDPar