Talk:Chest wall oscillation

help clarify or support the following please

To someone not familiar with this device or with detailed pulm therapy methods, this article was unclear and awkwardly written. I fixed up the first couple of paragraphs but the following were so unclear or problematic I moved them here for help temporarily. Problems and questions are listed below. Please replace these sentences with better versions.

There are alternative methods of airway clearance that are of equal effectivity but have much lower costs and are independent from electrical power.

In European countries, active techniques that rely on the cooperation of the patient are preferred by cystic fibrosis specialist physicians as well as by patients that have had the opportunity for tests.

• Autogenic drainage
• Active cycle of breathing
• PEP systems (Positive Expiratory Pressure)
• Oscillating PEP systems

1. The reader should be told that this is designed to replace manual pulm therapy exercises that have been recommended for cf care for 70 years. When was this device introduced? Has it been universally accepted in the US or is it controversial here?
2. The article needs an explanation of why active vs passive systems might be preferred. A reader who doesnt know that pulm toilet exercises are a pain in ass and many pts dont like to do them as often as recommended or do not have the strength and stamina to do them right will not understand the whole reason for this machine. Is there evidence that this machine does a better job, or just that it "does the work" for the pt?
3. Effectiveness is a better english word than effectivity.
4. If the other methods are truly "equally effective" than why use this expensive one? Is the equal effectiveness disputed, or documented, or untested? If untested the sentence should be reworded (e.g., "national health services in most European countries have not been convinced that this expensive method is superior"). If equal effectiveness has been demonstrated it should be sourced. If there are studies that show this is superior one should be cited if use of this device is presented as a controversy.
5. I infer this is mainly an American product and added that. Please remove if untrue.
6. Wording. All methods have costs of various sorts. Any cf pt doing old fashioned "free" pulm toilet exercises will certainly tell you it "costs" both time and physical and mental energy.
7. Wording. One cannot "prefer" something unless one has knowledge of alternatives. European specialists might know of this device and prefer older or lower cost methods, but European patients and families are unlikely to know of it if their health services doesnt support it. Is there a study showing eur pts prefer other methods or has this just not been made available there?
8. Finally, what is that list of 4 items? Are they "active" european pulm toilet exercises, which is suggested by the previous paragraph? Are they widely used in the US? If so they shouldnt be described as european. How about a brief phrase explaining each (i.e., is "autogenic drainage" simply a fancy term for lying head down for a while?). Thanks to anyone willing to help improve. alteripse 03:30, 6 July 2006 (UTC)

Instructions

I just removed this from the main page. Wikipedia isn't a how-to guide so I'm not really sure what it's doing on there since the original article was fine as it was.

Disclaimer: Please note, the following is just a recommendation and does not supersede instructions from your health professional.

Here are basic guidelines for using the ThAIRapy Vest:

• Check and make sure the vest fits properly.
• It is acceptable to use a bronchodilator during the treatments.
• It is suggested to delay antibiotic aerosol treatments until after the vest session is complete.
• Drink lots of fluids before doing the vest it helps loosen the mucus.
• Stop the vest every 5 to 10 minutes to help clear the airways by huffing and coughing.
• Use a comfortable pressure and frequency. (Suggested pressure 4-6 and frequency 9-15)

If you have any objections please comment on the talk page before re-inserting. --ImmortalGoddezz 15:14, 10 September 2007 (UTC)