Safety and efficacy of chest physical therapy in newborns: a literature review

Abstract

Literatue reviews on chest physical therapy in premature infants often present results without providing adequate methodology detailing and rigour of the reviewed studies. In order to know safe ad effective chest physical therapy for newborns in neonatal intensive therapy units, this article reviewed clinical studies on the issue published between 1994 and 2007, searched for in electronic databases and in proceedings of congresses and similar events. The analysis of the studies found focussed on study design, sample criteria and size, control of measurement bias and errors, data analysis, main outcome measuring, training of personnel who attended to the newborns, physical therapy techniques used, their description and possibility of reproduction or simulation. Six studies were analysed, of which results are divergent. The present review concludes for the need to further, qualified studies with clear reproducibility of results, so as to establish both safe protocols to perform respiratory physical therapy in newborns and suitable care standards.