COMPARISON OF MANUAL AND MECHANICAL CHEST PERCUSSION IN HOSPITALIZED-PATIENTS WITH CYSTIC-FIBROSIS

We compared the efficacy of manual and mechanical chest percussion dur ing hospitalization for acute exacerbations of cystic fibrosis by eval uating changes in spirometry values. Fifty-one participants were rando mly assigned to receive manual or mechanical chest percussion three ti mes a day. Twenty-two participated during one subsequent admission and were assigned to the opposite form of chest percussion. The two group s were equal in severity of illness (mean National Institutes of Healt h score (+/- SEM): manual = 66.7 +/- 2.2; mechanical = 65.8 +/- 2.2; p = not significant). Mean improvement in forced expiratory volume at 1 second, forced vital capacity, and forced expiratory flow between 25% and 75% of forced vital capacity (+/- SEM) for manual percussion was 32.6% +/- 7%, 27.2% +/- 5%, and 38.1% +/- 10%, and for mechanical perc ussion was 28.5% +/- 4%, 28.7% +/- 4%, and 25.1% +/- 8%, respectively; p = not significant. Our participants did not prefer mechanical chest percussion. Although equal efficacy of outpatient therapy remains to be proved, this study suggests that patients can be encouraged to use the form of chest percussion that they prefer.