Periodic turning and oscillation therapy and their effect on airway clearance

Abstract

A two-part study was performed to determine the effect of periodic turning and oscillation therapy on the mechanically ventilated patient's airway clearance. A secondary analysis of data was performed to compare the effect on airway clearance between subjects on an air-flotation, continuous oscillating bed, the BiodyneTM (n = 8), and subjects on a standard hospital bed manually turned every two hours (n = 10). Airway clearance was evaluated over a three-day period: (1) frequency of suctioning, (2) description of secretions, (3) a/APO₂ ratio, and (4) respiratory compliance measures. The secondary analysis findings indicated no statistically significant differences between the BiodyneTM group and the standard group. A third group of subjects, the RotorestTM bed subjects (n = 7), was retrospectively assessed for effective airway clearance and reported as a descriptive study. The RotorestTM group's sputum appearance, which changed from "purulent-bloody" to "clear-light yellow," demonstrated significant clearing over three days (χ² = 4.24, df = 1).