The impact of body position on vital capacity among pregnant women in the second trimester.

Background

Pregnancy introduces significant physiological changes, notably impacting respiratory dynamics, especially during the second trimester. Data remain inconclusive about how body posture might influence lung function in pregnant women. We aimed to examine the impact of body position on slow vital capacity in pregnant women during their second trimester.

Methods

This observational study was carried out at King Khalid Hospital in Saudi Arabia, involving pregnant women in their second trimester, from 14 to 26 weeks of gestation. We utilized the KoKo® Legend Portable Office Spirometer to measure slow vital capacity (SVC) in both sitting and standing positions. Participants' demographic details were recorded, ensuring a comprehensive analysis that accounted for age, BMI, and gestational age.

Results

136 pregnant women participated in this study, a paired-sample

Conclusion

The performance of the SVC in both positions was not significantly affected. However, an increase in gestational age had a notable impact on SVC performance, particularly during sitting positions, due to the changes in respiratory physiology during pregnancy.

Informations de copyright

Copyright © 2024 Al Zhranei, Alsulami, Alfaydi, Alzahrani, Alsulami and Al Nufaiei.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.