What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: RCT. Population: Hypertension (n=32). Intervention: Device-guided slow breathing (DGB) vs. Music (Control Group). Primary outcome: Blood pressure and sympathetic nerve activity.

July 20, 2017

Effects of long term device-guided slow breathing on sympathetic nervous activity in hypertensive patients: a randomized open-label clinical trial

Key Result

Device-guided slow breathing for 8 weeks did not reduce blood pressure, catecholamine levels, or muscle sympathetic nerve activity in hypertensive patients.

Study Design

Type

RCT (n=32)

Blinding

Open-label

Randomization

randomized

Structured PICO

Does device-guided slow breathing reduce blood pressure and sympathetic nerve activity in hypertensive patients?

Population

32 hypertensive patients randomized to 8 weeks of device-guided slow breathing or music control.

Intervention

Device-guided slow breathing (DGB) aiming to reduce respiratory rate to less than 10 breaths/minute during 15 minutes/day for 8 weeks

Comparator

Listening to music (Control Group) for 8 weeks

Outcome

Blood pressure (office and ambulatory blood pressure monitoring), catecholamines, and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) by microneurographysurrogate

Device-guided slow breathing over 8 weeks does not significantly reduce blood pressure or sympathetic nerve activity in hypertensive patients.

Abstract

PURPOSE: Device-guided slow breathing (DGB) is indicated as nonpharmacological treatment for hypertension. The sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) reduction may be one of the mechanisms involved in blood pressure (BP) decrease. The aim of this study is to evaluate the long-term use of DGB in BP and SNA. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Hypertensive patients were randomized to listen music (Control Group-CG) or DGB (aim to reduce respiratory rate to less than 10 breaths/minute during 15 minutes/day for 8 weeks). Before and after intervention ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), catecholamines and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) by microneurography were performed. RESULTS: 17 volunteers in the DGB and 15 in the CG completed the study. There was no change in office BP before and after intervention in both groups. There was a reduction in systolic and diastolic BP in the awake period by ABPM only in the CG (131 ± 10/92 ± 9 vs 128 ± 10/88 ± 8mmHg, p < 0.05). In relation to SNA, no difference in catecholamines was observed. In the volunteers who had a microneurography record, there was no change the MSNA (bursts/minute): DGB (17(15-28) vs 19(13-22), p = 0.08) and CG (22(17-23) vs 22(18-24), p = 0.52). CONCLUSION: Long-term DGB did not reduce BP, catecholamines levels or MSNA in hypertensive patients. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01390727.

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