Skip to main content

Table 2 Summary of study characteristics according to study population

From: The effect of body position on pulmonary function: a systematic review

1st Author (Year)

No of Participants

Age (Years)

Population

Positions

Pulmonary Function

Main Findings

Meysman (1998) [3]

31

25.6 ± 3.8

Healthy

Sitting Supine

RSL

LSL

PEF, FVC, FEV1, PImax, PEmax

FVC, FEV1, PEF: sitting>supine

LSL, RSL, PImax: sitting>supine

PEmax: p > 0.05 between positions

Manning (1999) [20]

19

62.8 ± 6.8

Healthy older adults

Sitting

LSL

RSL

FVC, FEV1 DLCO/VA

FVC, FEV1: sitting>RSL & LSL

DLCO/VA: p > 0.05 between positions

Vilke (2000) [26]

20

Range

18–50

Healthy males

Sitting

Supine

FVC, FEV1

FVC, FEV1: sitting>supine

Stewart (2000) [24]

10

22.3 ± 2.4

Healthy males

Sitting Supine

FVC, VC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, PEF, DLCO

FVC, PEF: sitting>supine

DLCO: sitting< supine

FEV1, VC, FEV1/FVC: p > 0.05 between positions

Yap (2000) [27]

10

62.2±1.2 Mean±SE

Healthy

Sitting Supine

FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, FRC

FVC, FEV1, FRC: sitting>supine

FEV1/FVC: p > 0.05 between positions

Varrato (2001) [25]

15

Mean 41

Healthy

Sitting Supine

FVC

FVC: sitting>supine

Badr (2002) [46]

25

34.0 ± 14.9

Healthy

Standing Sitting Supine

RSL

PEmax, PEF

PEmax: standing>other positions

PEmax: sitting>supine & RSL

PEF: standing>other positions

Ogiwara (2002) [55]

20

Mean 22.8±2.1

Range 21–28

Healthy

Sitting

Supine

RSL

LSL

PEmax, PImax

PEmax, PImax: p > 0.05 between positions

Peces-Barba (2004) [56]

14

37.5±11.5

Healthy

Sitting Supine

DLCO

DLCO: sitting<supine

Chang (2005) [53]

20

28.3 ± 4.8

Healthy males

Standing Supine

FRC

FRC: standing>supine

Palermo (2005) [21]

14

61 ± 8

Healthy

Sitting Supine

LSL

RSL

FEV1, FVC, VC, DLCO

FEV1, FVC, VC: p > 0.05 between positions

DLCO: sitting>LSL & RSL

Watson (2005) [43]

5

Mean 57

Healthy

Sitting Supine

TLC, VC, RV, FRC

TLC, VC, RV: p > 0.05 between positions

FRC sitting>supine

Saxena (2006) [23]

80

Males 21.3 ± 1.5

Females 19.6 ± 1.3

Healthy

Standing Sitting

Supine

FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, PEF

FEV1, FVC, PEF: standing>supine

FEV1/FVC: sitting>supine

Ben-Dov (2009) [17]

7

44 ± 10

Healthy

Sitting Supine

FVC

FVC: p > 0.05 between positions

Terzano (2009) [57]

10

59.0 ± 9.3

Healthy

Standing Sitting Supine

DLCO

DLCO: p > 0.05 between positions

Tsubaki (2009) [28]

15

22.7 ± 2.3

Healthy females

Sitting Supine

FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC,

VC, PImax, PEmax

FEV1/FVC: sitting>supine

FVC, FEV1, VC, PImax, PEmax: p > 0.05 between positions

McCoy (2010) [49]

182

23.5 ± 2.5 (healthy and asthmatic patients)

Healthy

Standing, Sitting

PEF

PEF: p > 0.05 between positions

Ceridon (2011) [18]

12

63 ± 9

Healthy

Sitting Supine

FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC, DLCO

FVC, FEV1, DLCO: sitting>supine

FEV1/FVC: p > 0.05 between positions

Roychowdhury (2011) [44]

100

Range 19–22

Healthy

Sitting Supine

VC

VC: supine>sitting in females

VC: p > 0.05 between positions in males

Gianinis (2013) [48]

30

22.2 ± 2.4

Healthy

Sitting Supine

RSL

LSL

PEF

PEF: sitting>supine & RSL

Wallace (2013) [51]

94

23.9 ± 3.7

Healthy

Standing Sitting

PEF

PEF: standing>sitting

Naitoh (2014) [39]

20

28 ± 1.4

Healthy

Sitting Supine

FEV1,VC PEmax, PImax

FEV1, VC: sitting>supine

PEmax, PImax: p > 0.05 between positions

Costa (2015) [54]

63

19.7 ± 1.5

Healthy

Sitting Supine

PImax, PEmax

PImax, PEmax: sitting>supine

Ganapathi (2015) [19]

20

Range 18–25

Healthy

Standing Sitting Supine

RSL

LSL

FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC

FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC: standing>supine, RSL& LSL FEV1: standing>sitting sitting>RSL FEV1/FVC: sitting>LSL

Patel (2015) [22]

45

Median 21 Range 19–23

Healthy

Standing, Sitting Supine

FVC, FEV1, PEF

FVC, FEV1, PEF: sitting>standing FVC, FEV1, PEF: sitting>supine

Antunes (2016) [45]

30

22.7 ± 2.4

Healthy

Sitting

Supine

PEF

PEF: sitting>supine

Miccinilli (2016) [40]

20

33.6 ± 10.5

Healthy

Sitting Supine

VC, FEV1

VC, FEV1: p > 0.05 between positions

Ottaviano (2016) [50]

76

40 ± 16

Healthy

Standing Sitting

PEF

PEF: standing>sitting

Myint (2017) [42]

15

22.6 ± 2.0

Healthy

Standing, Sitting

Supine

FEV1/FVC

FEV1/FVC: p > 0.05 between positions

Badr (2002) [46]

11

66.8 ± 12.6

Chronic airflow limitation

Standing Sitting Supine

RSL

PEmax, PEF

PEmax: standing>supine & RSL, PEmax: sitting>supine & RSL

PEF: standing>sitting, supine, RSL

Elkins (2005) [47]

20

29 ± 8

Adult cystic fibrosis

Standing Sitting Supine

RSL

PEmax, PEF

PEmax: standing & sitting>RSL

PEF: standing>supine & RSL

Razi (2007) [32]

49

42.6 ± 11.8

Obesity, asthma

(Mean BMI 36±5)

Standing Sitting

FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC

FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC: p > 0.05 between positions

Terzano (2009) [57]

30

Mild 10

Moderate-severe 10

Very severe 10

Mild 57.3 ± 8.6

Moderate-severe 59.8 ± 9.1 Very severe 63.7 ± 5.5

COPD

Standing Sitting Supine

DLCO

DLCO: p > 0.05 between positions

McCoy (2010) [49]

29

23.5 ± 2.5 (Healthy and asthmatic patients) 

Asthma

Standing Sitting

PEF

PEF: p > 0.05 between positions

De (2012) [29]

75

61.2 ± 9.2

COPD

Standing Sitting

FVC, FEV1

FVC, FEV1: p > 0.05 between positions

Melam (2014) [30]

30

34.3 ± 3.7

Asthma

Standing, Sitting Supine

RSL

LSL

FVC, FEV1

FVC, FEV1: standing>supine

Mohammed (2017) [31]

20

39.2 ± 8.0

Asthma

Standing Sitting Supine

RSL

LSL

FVC, FEV1, PEF

FVC, FEV1, PEF: standing>supine, RSL, LSL

FVC, FEV1: standing>sitting

Myint (2017) [42]

15

22.3 ± 2.0

Asthma

Standing

Sitting

Supine

FEV1/FVC

FEV1/FVC: p > 0.05 between positions

Faggiano (1998) [58]

32

59 ± 10

CHF, males

Sitting Supine

DLCO

DLCO: p > 0.05 between positions

↓DLCO in sitting in a subgroup of patients with decrease in mean pulmonary arterial pressure in this position

↑DLCO in sitting in a subgroup of patients with increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure in this position

Yap (2000) [27]

10

61.4 ± 2.0  Mean±SE

CHF

Sitting Supine

FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, VC, FRC

FVC, FEV1 VC: sitting>supine FEV1/FVC, FRC: p > 0.05 between positions

Palermo (2005) [21]

14

62 ± 8

CHF

Sitting Supine

LSL

RSL

FEV1, FVC, VC, DLCO

FEV1, FVC: sitting>RSL & LSL

DLCO: sitting>RSL &LSL

VC: p > 0.05 between positions

Ceridon (2011) [18]

24

65 ± 8

CHF

Sitting Supine

FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, DLCO

FEV1, FVC: sitting>supine FEV1/FVC: p > 0.05 between positions

DLCO: p > 0.05 between positions

Linn (2000) [33]

222

Tetraplegia 98

Paraplegia 124

40 ± 11

SCI

Sitting Supine

FVC, FEV1, PEF

FVC, FEV1, PEF: sitting<supine in complete tetraplegia

FVC, FEV1, PEF: p > 0.05 between positions in paraplegia

Baydur (2001) [35]

74

C3–7 injury tetraplegia 31 T—L4 injury paraplegia 43

40 ± 12

SCI

Sitting Supine

FVC, FEV1

FVC, FEV1: p > 0.05 between positions

Ben Dov (2009) [17]

12

42 ± 11

Neurologically stable

C5–8 tetraplegia

Sitting Supine

FVC

FVC: sitting<supine

Park (2010) [34]

43

35.0 ± 12.6

SCI

C6-C8

Sitting Supine

FVC

FVC: sitting<supine

Kim (2012) [36]

45

Cervical 15

Thoracic 13

Lumbar 17

Cervical 43.2 ± 1.3

Thoracic 49.8 ± 4.9

Lumbar 52.2 ± 4.4

SCI

Sitting Supine

FVC, FEV1

FVC, FEV1: p > 0.05 between positions within cervical/thoracic/lumbar subgroups

FVC, FEV1: sitting<supine in cervical and thoracic injury

FVC, FEV1: sitting>supine in lumbar injury

Statistically significant difference in the effect of position between cervical/thoracic/lumbar subgroups 

Terson de Paleville (2014) [37]

27

Complete motor injury 13 Incomplete motor injury 14 Cervical 15, Thoracic 12

40 ± 14

SCI

Sitting Supine

FVC, FEV1, PEmax, PImax

FVC, FEV1: p > 0.05 between positions for all patients together

FVC: sitting<supine in cervical/complete motor injury

FVC: sitting>supine in thoracic incomplete motor injury

FEV1 sitting> supine in incomplete motor injury

FEV1: sitting>supine in thoracic incomplete motor injury

PEmax: sitting>supine all patients

PEmax: sitting>supine in complete motor injury

PEmax: sitting>supine in cervical incomplete motor injury

PImax: p > 0.05 between positions for all patients together

PImax: sitting>supine in thoracic complete motor injury

Miccinilli (2016) [40]

20

C3–7 tetraplegia 9; T1–8 paraplegia 11

Tetraplegia

29.4 ± 10.5

Paraplegia 36.6 ± 10.3

SCI

Sitting Supine

VC, FEV1

VC, FEV1: sitting<supine

Varrato (2001) [25]

38

61

ALS

Sitting Supine

FVC

FVC: sitting>supine

Park (2010) [34]

45

54.4 ± 11.1

ALS

Sitting Supine

FVC

FVC: sitting>supine

Poussel (2014) [38]

58

42.6 ± 12.9

Myotonic dystrophy

Sitting Supine

FVC, FEV1

FVC, FEV1: sitting>supine

Watson (2005) [43]

10

49 ± 6 Mean ± SE

Obesity

Mean BMI 44±3  Mean±SE

Sitting Supine

TLC, VC, RV, FRC,

TLC, VC, RV, FRC: p > 0.05 between positions

Razi (2007) [32]

51

39.86 ± 10.1

Obesity

Mean BMI 36.7±4.1

Standing Sitting

FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC

FVC, FEV1, FEV1/FVC: p > 0.05 between positions

Benedik (2009) [52]

32

Range

18–75

Healthy, mild-moderate obesity

Mean BMI 32.7±3.5

Sitting Supine

FRC

FRC: sitting>supine

Sebbane (2015) [41]

12

44 ± 14

Morbid obesity Mean BMI 45±5

S/P bariatric surgery

Mean BMI 31 ± 5

Sitting Supine

TLC, RV, VC, FRC, FEV1

FEV1: sitting>supine in morbid obesity

TLC, RV, FRC, VC: p > 0.05 between positions in morbid obesity

FRC, FEV1: sitting>supine in s/p bariatric surgery

TLC, RV, VC: p > 0.05 between positions in s/p bariatric surgery

  1. Values are mean ± S.D. unless specified other
  2. ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, BMI Body mass index, CHF Congestive heart failure, COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, DLCO Diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide, DLCO/VA Diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide divided by alveolar volume, FEV1 Forced expiratory flow in 1 s, FRC Functional residual capacity, FVC Forced vital capacity, LSL Left side lying, PEF Peak expiratory flow, PEmax Maximal expiratory pressure, PImax Maximal inspiratory pressure, RSL Right side lying, RV Residual volume, SCI Spinal cord injury, S/P Status post, TLC Total lung capacity, VC Vital capacity