Developing A Prototype: Biofeedback Integrated Thoracic Expansion Measuring Device

Background: Thoracic expansion is defined as the difference in chest circumference between Maximal. Inhalation and Maximal Exhalation. As per WHO guidelines the ability to accurately evaluate Thoracic Expansion is very important in disorders like COPD, Asthma, Bronchiectasis etc. Till the date chest expansion is measured clinically by measuring tape, so the chances of human error persist, also Constant & Continuous data is not possible until it is performed manually and it is also difficult for the subject to interpret it. So it was needed to develop a biofeedback integrated thoracic expansion device, in order to accurately measure and improve chest expansion among people having reduced lung volume and Capacity. Aim: To Develop Biofeedback Integrated Thoracic Expansion Measuring Device. Materials and Methods: It was a Multiphasic study. Phase 1 was for the Development of the Prototype. Phase 2 was for Checking Reliability and Validity of the Device. Phase 3 was for checking the effectiveness of device. Results and Discussion: Result showed that the Biofeedback Integrated thoracic expansion-measuring device demonstrated excellent reliability when assessed by Test- Retest Method using ICC test and showed Very Strong Agreement with Gold standard Method of Measuring tape when Concurrent parallel Validity was applied to it by Spearman Correlation test. Hence, the findings suggested that the Biofeedback Integrated thoracic expansion-measuring device could confidently be used as a valid alternative for assessing Thoracic Expansion digitally. From Group A to Group C, Statistical significance difference (<0.05) was found between Pre intervention and post intervention when Wilcoxon Signed Rank test was applied to it. Conclusions: In context to multiphasic study, the present prototype is highly reliable and valid tool for assessing thoracic expansion. Not only for Diagnosis but for its feature of providing visual biofeedback makes it a useful tool for treatment purpose also in pulmonary rehabilitation. Its ability to provide accurate and consistent measurements makes it a promising tool for usage in the clinical practice.