Chest physiotherapy in children with pneumonia does not lead to faster resolution of symptoms and may even prolong them. Researchers from Brazil studied 98 children between 29 days and 12 years of age who had been hospitalised for pneumonia to determine the effectiveness of chest physiotherapy in the patients of pneumonia. Fifty-one children were allocated to receive chest physiotherapy and standard treatment for pneumonia. However, 47 children were assigned to receive standard treatment for pneumonia alone. Chest physiotherapy consisted of deep breathing, turning movements, and other exercises. It was found that in both the groups, it took roughly 4 days for the pneumonia to resolve and patients were hospitalised for 6 days. Coughing, however, lasted for 5 days in the chest physiotherapy group, but only for 4 days in the standard therapy group. The results of this study suggest that chest physiotherapy should not be routinely indicated for children hospitalised with acute pneumonia. Although the results suggest no benefit, in general, for kids with pneumonia, however, there may be certain subgroups of patients who may benefit from the therapy. Therefore, this would require to be studied further.
Thorax
September 2008