Effectiveness of assisted and unassisted cough capacity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients

AbstractDecreased cough capacity during a respiratory infection is one of the main causes of acute respiratory failure and hospitalisation in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Objective: To determine whether a respiratory measurement could identify the effectiveness of cough capacity in ALS during a respiratory infection. Methods: This was a prospective study of all ALS patients who were treated at a respiratory care unit due to a respiratory infection from 2012 to 2016. The effectiveness of unassisted and assisted coughing was evaluated and respiratory function tests were performed during the acute episode. Results: Forty-eight ALS patients were enrolled, with only four having an effective unassisted cough. The variable which predicted unassisted cough effectiveness was peak cough flow (PCF) (OR 4499.27; 95%CI 3.60–3219086.19; p = 0.022) with a cut-off point of 2.77 L/s (166 L/min). For manually assisted coughing, the predictor of cough effectiveness was manually assisted PCF (cut-off point of 2.82–16...