Study design (if review, criteria of inclusion for studies)
RCT cross-over design. Single centre study USA.
Participants
5 participants. Age and sex of participants not stated.
Interventions
HFCWO versus CPT. 30 sessions of each therapy lasting same duration, but duration of treatment was not defined.
Outcome measures
Measured before and after duration of intervention (30 days). Sputum weight. Primarily looking at the pressure and frequencies generated by the vest and the mucus collection was an aside.
Main results
Maximum vest pressure is 39 mmHg (5.2 kPa), with patient-controlled vest inflation and deflation time constants of 0.5 s. Vest pressure increases from 28 mmHg (3.7 kPa) at 5 Hz to 39 mmHg (5.2 kPa) at 25 Hz. Preliminary clinical trials have shown the HFCC device to be more effective than standard chest physical therapy. The HFCC device yielded a mean volume of cleared mucus of 3.3 cc per session, compared with 1.8 cc for a conventional therapy session.
Keywords: High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation -HFCWO-; VEST Airway Clearance System; oscillating devices; Airway clearance technique; Chest physiotherapy; non pharmacological intervention - devices OR physiotherapy;