In advanced neuromuscular disorders, respiratory complications represent the main cause of morbidity and mortality. Beside chronic respiratory insufficiency, necessitating a ventilatory support, mostly performed by non-invasive ventilation (NIV), cough is impaired due to the muscle weakness, and respiratory physiotherapy becomes an essential part of the management.~Various techniques have been proposed to improve lung recruitment and cough in neuromuscular patients. The assisted techniques based on a positive pressure insufflation maneuver have shown an improvement in physiological variables on the short term, but there is to date no good-quality prospective study allowing to evaluate the long term efficacy of mechanical cough assistance devices in neuromuscular patients.~We designed a randomized, cross over, open label study to assess the long-term effect of LIAM (Lung Insufflation Assist Maneuver) on respiratory performance in NIV patients suffering from neuromuscular disease.
The long-term effect of LIAM (Lung Insufflation Assist Maneuver) on respiratory performance in home non-invasively ventilated (NIV) patients suffering from neuromuscular disease will be assessed in a prospective, randomized, cross over, open label study