A Novel Medical Device for Airway Clearance

Abstract

Background: Airway clearance techniques are a key element in the daily treatment of people with bronchiectasis. There are several methods and devices to assist in effective airway clearance. We investigated LibAirty, a novel medical device, and compared it with the common practice performed today. Methods: Twenty adults enrolled, and each one had three different treatments in a randomized order: a human respiratory physiotherapist, a High-Frequency Chest Wall Oscillator, and LibAirty with BiPAP. The outcome parameters were mucus weight and a questionnaire. Further studies were performed to investigate LibAirty with hypertonic saline (HS) inhalation and using the device as a standalone. Results: No adverse events were recorded. The sputum amount expectorated in all arms using LibAirty was 14.4 ± 11.1 g with BIPAP, 16.4 ± 7 g with HS, and 11.3 ± 4.1 g for the standalone treatment. For HFCWO, 4.45 ± 3.28 g was obtained, and for CPT, 15.9 ± 11.1 g was obtained. The amount obtained by LibAirty (all arms) was significantly higher than HFCWO. Conclusions: All arms of LibAirty were superior to HFCWO and similar to the human physiotherapist. Further studies should be performed to investigate the long-term effects of LibAirty.

Keywords: BiPAP; LibAirty; airway clearance; bronchiectasis; cystic fibrosis.

Figure 1

Sputum weight per session. HFCWO at 4.45 ± 3.28 g, CPT at 15.9 ± 11.1 g, LibAirty with BiPAP at 14.4 ± 11.1 g, LibAirty with HS at 16.4 ± 7 g, and LibAirty standalone at 11.3 ± 4.1 g. All 3 sessions with LibAirty were not statistically significant from CPT. All sessions had statistically significant higher mucus amounts compared with HFCWO (Wilcoxon signed rank test, p < 0.01).