Coughing to clear the lungs of congestion is fundamental for patients with obstructive lung disorders, neuromuscular diseases and restrictive airway disorders. Such coughs are associated with COPD, bronchitis, viral and bacterial types of pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, occupational lung disease and many other respiratory conditions. If left untreated, the buildup of mucus can lead to serious infections. So what is coughing and how can the hand-held Electro Flo 5000 Airway Clearance System ensure that patients get the specific relief they seek?
There are two types of coughing, dry and productive. Dry coughing usually doesn’t produce phlegm. Productive coughing results when the body seeks to clear the build-up of sputum to clear the airways and improve breathing.
Coughing is the forceful expulsion of air from the lungs that can reach an estimated at 100 miles per hour. The National Institutes of Health describes the process of coughing accordingly:
| In order for a cough to occur, several events need to take place in sequence. First, the vocal cords open widely, allowing additional air to pass through into the lungs. Then the epiglottis closes off the windpipe (larynx), and simultaneously, the abdominal and rib muscles contract, increasing the pressure behind the epiglottis. With the increased pressure, the air is forcefully expelled, and creates a rushing sound as it moves very quickly past the vocal cords. The rushing air dislodges the irritant, making it possible to breathe comfortably again.
Source: “Coughing” www.nlm.nih.gov |
In order to induce productive coughing, patients may use percussion. This will loosen the mucus and stimulate coughing to move it up and out. Percussion can be applied using repeated, steady clapping motions with a cupped hand over the lungs. See the diagram of the respiratory system. Each area is treated for 3 to 5 minutes before moving to another section, allowing time in between for the patient to breath deeply and cough for a minute or two in between. Treatments may last 20 to 40 minutes and may be repeated several times a day.
Source: www.everythingessential.me/HealthConcerns/cough.html#page=page-1
Clearly, hand percussion can be tiring. If applied by a health professional, the repetitive action can result in carpal tunnel syndrome.1 When a family member or the patient applies manual percussion at home, the demands can lead to poor compliance. The disadvantages of hand percussion are mitigated by the Electro Flo 5000 Airway Clearance System that tirelessly mimics hand percussion while allowing the patient to easily and quickly apply treatments on themselves at their convenience.
The Electro Flo 5000 Airway Clearance System delivers force multiplied percussion with 30 customizable settings ranging from light gentle tapping to a deep jackhammer force. With its Self-Administrator, individual lobes of the lungs may be precisely targeted for clearance. The coughing that results from a treatment using the Electro Flo System can effectively remove trapped pathogens in a person’s airways naturally without the side effects of pharmaceuticals. Contact Med Systems today to schedule your free 30 day trial and experience the improvement in your lung function.