Criteria for selection of participants included (1) diagnosis of SLT or BLT, (2) men or women from 18 to 80 years old, (3) fluent in English, (4) alert and oriented, and (5) hemodynamically stable.
Exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) intubation, (2) tracheostomy, (3) active bleeding, (4) hemodynamic instability, (5) unstable head and neck injury, (6) dementia or physical/ mental incapacity to perform study requirements, (7) open chest, and (8) myopathy affecting diaphragmatic movement.