Your body should naturally and effectively clear mucus from your lungs.
When certain diseases and conditions weaken normal airways, your body has trouble clearing mucus on its own and needs help.
You likely experience both good days and bad days or “flare ups” known as exacerbations, or a temporary worsening of symptoms. There are many different conditions that share symptoms of impaired airway clearance:
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Bronchiectasis (brong-kee-EK-tuh-sis) is an irreversible, chronic condition where airways in your lungs (bronchi) become damaged and abnormally widened from recurring inflammation or infection.
As your airways are repeatedly damaged, your lungs slowly lose their ability to mobilize and clear mucus. This makes it easier for bacteria to infect your lungs. Each recurring infection causes more damage to your airways, which over time weakens their ability to move air in and out.
Lungs are damaged by bacteria, viruses, fungi, allergens, and other irritants.
Your body responds to infected airways by inflammation and additional mucus creation.
Airways slowly become ineffective at clearing mucus and breathing normally.
There are a range of diseases and conditions that can hinder your ability to clear your airways.
As your airways lose the ability to clear mucus, permanent lung damage becomes increasingly likely.
People living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) have similar symptoms to bronchiectasis, including frequent pneumonias, inflammation, and permanent lung damage.
A general term that refers to impaired muscular and nervous system functions that may affect a person’s ability to naturally clear mucus from their lungs.
A genetic condition that causes thick, sticky mucus to build up in the lungs, pancreas, and other organs.
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Clearing mucus from the lungs with a combination of medication and airway clearance techniques helps to improve symptoms and reduce complications of impaired airway clearance.
Several times a day using various positions, a therapist or caregiver manually claps on the patient's chest wall to help move the mucus into the larger airways.
Breathing techniques, such as autogenic drainage and the active cycle of breathing technique, use controlled breathing to loosen and mobilize mucus.
Antibiotic therapy plays a central role in treating acute infections, and performs well when combined with airway clearance therapies as a long-term solution.
Oscillating Positive Expiratory Pressure (OPEP) devices create resistance and vibrations while exhaling, which helps to clear mucus from the airways.
A high frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) vest, SmartVest thins, shears, and propels mucus from the lungs, moving it toward major airways where it can be easily coughed out.
The SmartVest Airway Clearance System is an effective, convenient, and comfortable solution to improving airway clearance.
The effectiveness of our chest physiotherapy vest was proven in two recently published case review outcomes-based studies. The studies compared how SmartVest affected the frequency and related costs of antibiotic prescriptions, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits for people with bronchiectasis.
Patients that used SmartVest as a bronchiectasis treatment reduced
antibiotic prescriptions by
and
hospitalizations by
Patients who are compliant with their SmartVest treatment protocols may see a cost savings. Individual results may vary.
Sievert, CE et al. 2017. Cost-Effective Analysis of Using High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO) in Patients with Non-Cystic Fibrosis Bronchiectasis. Respiratory Therapy, 12(1), 45-49.
Get an inside perspective on how our airway clearance vest supports your body’s natural processes through a comfortable and easy-to-use therapy.