BENEFITS OF RESPIRATORY PHYSIOTHERAPY IN PATIENTS WITH COVID-19: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW

Abstract

In late December 2019, several cases of pneumonia caused by coronavirus, until then belonging to a family of viruses common in different animals, occurred in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. In a few months this virus has reached countries on all continents, victimizing about one million one hundred thousand people by the month of October 2020. Among the possible complications due to Covid-19 in ICU patients, the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) stands out. Physiotherapy stands out in the treatment of these complications, aiming to increase lung capacity and recover dysfunctions related to the breathing process. Thus, this study aims to characterize the literature and verify the role of respiratory physiotherapy in patients with Covid-19. This is an integrative review conducted through a documentary reading of articles found in the Pubmed, LILACS, Scopus and SciELO databases, using the following descriptors indexed in DeCS (Descriptors in Health Sciences): "Respiratory Physiotherapy AND Covid-19"; "Physiotherapeutic Techniques AND Covid-19"; "Respiratory Physiotherapy AND ICU". To compose the discussion of this review, integrative, were selected according to the search criteria, where 15 articles were selected that addressed the subject and were in accordance with the established objectives. This research allowed to verify that respiratory physiotherapy uses High Flow Nasal Oxygen (HFNO) and Non-Invasive Ventilation (NIV) as clinical practice and can be used in case of limited access to mechanical ventilation and in patients before the development of severe hypoxemia respiratory failure.