Chest Percussion is used to treat individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF) and other lung diseases such as bronchitis, pneumonia, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who are in need of airway clearance. Among CF patients, chest percussion helps to break up thick secretions created by the disease that can hinder breathing and lead to respiratory infections.
Chest percussion combined with postural drainage, known as chest physical therapy (CPT), breaks up the congestion and uses gravity to help an individual remove it through coughing. CPT may be performed in the home by an individual or caregivers, or in a clinic or hospital by physical therapists, respiratory therapists, or nurses.
During CPT a patient will lie, sit or stand in a way that the segment of the lung to be drained is uppermost on the patient’s body.
Illustration 1 shows various positions of CPT.
Source: Dr. Soma Jaldhari, “Pulmonary Rehabilitiation, April 7, 2013, www.physiorehab.in/article-pulmonary-rehabilitation/
Commonly, the person performing CPT will use cupped hands to deliver deliberate hitting motions. The therapy is applied over the ribs with care give to avoid percussing over the spine, breastbone or lower back where they can injure internal organs. The following video demonstrates how is it performed.
Percussion for Lung Clearance
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Each treatment lasts 20 to 40 minutes and a patient may require several sessions a day. To learn more about the process, see the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Consumer Fact Sheet, “An Introduction to Postural Drainage & Percussion” 2012 found on www.cff.org.
Chest percussion to treat CF and other lung obstructions when performed by hand can be very tiring to the caregiver. The amount of force needed to clear airways may vary and can range from gentle tapping to hammering. Devices to aid in airway clearance are intended to make the treatments less demanding.
Med Systems’ percussors mimic “hand clapping” consistently without fatigue to the patient or the caregiver. The Fluid Flo® 2500 series pneumatic percussor has been used in hospitals and clinics by therapists for airway clearance for 34 years because it gets results. The homecare patient will benefit by using the Electro Flo® 5000 electronic percussor, an airway clearance system that doesn’t require a caregiver to administer treatment in most cases. With 35 lbs of pulse force, the Electro Flo is the strongest percussor available. When powerful CPT is required, the American made Fluid Flo® 2500 and the Electro Flo® 5000 provide targeted fast relief.