title: Benefit of triple-strap abdominal binder on voluntary cough in patients with spinal cord injury.
abstract: METHODS
  A cross-sectional experimental study.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to examine the benefit of elastic abdominal binders on voluntary cough in persons with spinal cord injury.
  
  
  METHODS
  Spinal rehabilitation unit in a teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  We measured voluntary cough peak expiratory flow rate (in 21 subjects with spinal cord injury, (18 tetraplegia, 3 paraplegia) under three conditions: without abdominal binder as the baseline, with single-strap abdominal binder and triple-strap abdominal binder.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that the mean cough peak expiratory flow rate in all subjects without abdominal binder was 277.1 l per min. There was a significant increase in flow rate with the use of abdominal binders: 325.7 l per min with single-strap abdominal binder and 345.2 l per min with triple-strap abdominal binder (P<0.05, paired t-test). The mean cough peak expiratory flow rate in tetraplegic subjects using triple-strap abdominal binders was significantly higher compared with those using single-strap abdominal binders (322.1 l per min and 299.4 l per min, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abdominal binders can be used as an effective method to improve cough ability in spinal cord injured patients, with triple-strap abdominal binder achieving greater cough peak expiratory flows.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. jpe242696@yahoo.com
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Julia
authors.forename: M Y
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Sa'ari
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hasnan
mesh_terms: D000009:Abdominal Muscles / Q000502:physiology*; D000328:Adult; D058128:Compression Bandages; D003371:Cough / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010264:Paraplegia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D010366:Peak Expiratory Flow Rate / Q000502:physiology; D011782:Quadriplegia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014836:Volition; D055815:Young Adult