Cystic fibrosis lung sounds update#
Cystic fibrosis lung sounds manual#
Cystic fibrosis lung sounds trial#

Studies varied in duration from up to one week to one year 20 of the studies were cross-over in design. The searches identified 82 studies (330 references) 39 studies (total of 1114 participants) met the inclusion criteria. Using the GRADE method to assess the quality of the evidence, we judged this to be low or very low quality, which suggests that further research is very likely to have an impact on confidence in any estimate of effect generated by future interventions. Additional evidence is needed to evaluate whether oscillating devices combined with other forms of airway clearance is efficacious in people with cystic fibrosis.There may also be a requirement to consider the cost implication of devices over other forms of equally advantageous airway clearance techniques. Increased adherence to therapy may then lead to improvements in other parameters, such as exercise tolerance and respiratory function. More adequately-powered long-term randomised controlled trials are necessary and outcomes measured should include frequency of exacerbations, individual preference, adherence to therapy and general satisfaction with treatment. The findings from one study showing an increase in frequency of exacerbations requiring antibiotics whilst using an oscillating device compared to positive expiratory pressure may have significant resource implications. There was no clear evidence that oscillation was a more or less effective intervention overall than other forms of physiotherapy furthermore there was no evidence that one device is superior to another. We used a scoring system called GRADE to assess the quality of the evidence, we then judged it to be either low- or very low-quality, which suggests that further research is very likely to affect our confidence in the results in this review for of any of the interventions analysed. In comparisons of different types of physiotherapy, a person and their physiotherapist will always know which treatment they are receiving and this might affect their answers to some questions, such as which treatment makes them feel better, but we only thought this was a problem in a few studies.

Cystic fibrosis lung sounds trial#

In about a quarter of studies there were concerns that not all the results were reported clearly and in about a third of the studies the reasons for people withdrawing from a trial were not clearly explained. Overall, we thought most studies had some design problems which might affect our confidence in some of the results. We think adherence is important, because if people with cystic fibrosis are willing to stick to their physiotherapy regimen, there may be improvements in other outcomes such as exercise tolerance, respiratory function and mortality. When recommending the most suitable method of airway clearance, physiotherapists should consider the needs of the people they are treating.įor the future, larger and longer trials are needed to measure the frequency of lung infections, preference, adherence to and general satisfaction with treatment, financial constraints should also be taken into consideration. One study found that people using an vibrating device needed additional antibiotics for a chest infection more often than those using positive expiratory pressure. We did not find any clear evidence that vibrating devices were better than any other form of physiotherapy which they were compared to in these studies, or that one device was better than another.

Given the differences in study design, it was difficult to combine the results from these studies in a useful way. Not many studies looked at the same types of physiotherapy over the same period of time studies ranged in duration from two days to 13 months. Studies compared different physiotherapy treatments and people were selected for one treatment or the other randomly. The review included 39 studies with 1114 people with cystic fibrosis aged between 4 and 63 years of age.

Vibrating devices (also sometimes known as oscillators) use pressure generated either inside or outside of the body to clear the mucus.

Cystic fibrosis lung sounds manual#

They can use different methods alone or in combination with others - manual techniques, breathing techniques and mechanical devices. People with cystic fibrosis use chest physiotherapy to clear the mucus from their lungs. This damages their airways and worsens lung function over time. People with cystic fibrosis have too much sticky mucus in their lungs which can lead to constant infection and inflammation.

Cystic fibrosis lung sounds update#

This is an update of a previously published review. Vest ®), VibraLung ®, MetaNeb ®, and Aerobika ® to help people with cystic fibrosis clear their airways of mucus. Flutter, acapella, cornet, Quake ®, intrapulmonary percussive ventilation, high frequency chest wall oscillators (e.g. We reviewed the evidence about the effect of vibrating devices (e.g.