A Novel Medical Device for Airway Clearance

TL;DR

A new medical device called LibAirty was found to be more effective than existing methods for airway clearance in bronchiectasis patients.

Contribution

LibAirty, a novel medical device for airway clearance, was tested and shown to outperform traditional methods like HFCWO.

Findings

LibAirty produced significantly more sputum clearance than High-Frequency Chest Wall Oscillator (HFCWO).

LibAirty's performance was comparable to that of a human respiratory physiotherapist.

No adverse events were recorded during the study.

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.

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