At a glance
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ALS and Airway Clearance (ALSAC) Is There a Best Therapy for Airway Clearance in Patients With ALS
In Brief
A clinical study evaluating High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation and Mechanical insufflation/exsufflation for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Respiratory Muscle Weakness. Completed, enrolled 28 participants across 1 site.
Detailed Summary
Patients will receive one of three respiratory therapy interventions for airway clearance assistance: 1) High frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) and mechanical insufflation/exsufflation (MIE), 2) HFCWO or 3) MIE. The study period will be six months and include three clinic visits, baseline and follow-up visits at 3 and 6 months, and 6 monthly home visits by the respiratory therapist.
Study Details
Timeline
Interventions
The HFCWO aims to mobilize the secretions to the pharynx to allow the patient to expel the secretions. However, many ALS patients are unable to expel their secretions due to atrophied expiratory muscles. The HFCWO device uses a small air compressor with a vest that wraps around the chest to induce airflows that pull secretions from the walls of the airways, thin the secretions and move them up the airways towards the larger airways and pharynx.
A noninvasive therapy, removes secretions in patients who have an ineffective cough because their peak cough flows are less than 270 L/min. This device applies a positive pressure to the airway and rapidly switches to a negative pressure applied to the airway. The rapid switch between the two types of pressure simulates a natural cough, thus assisting with expulsion of the secretions.