A drinking straw as an alternative device for creating positive expiratory pressure in people who have undergone thoracic surgery
Introduction Positive expiratory pressure (PEP) is commonly applied to people who have undergone thoracic surgery; however, PEP devices are not always available. This experimental study investigated if a simple drinking straw could be used as an alternative PEP device in thoracic surgery patients. I...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
European Publishing
2023-08-01
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| Series: | Pneumon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.pneumon.org/A-drinking-straw-as-an-alternative-device-for-creating-npositive-expiratory-pressure,165843,0,2.html |
| Summary: | Introduction
Positive expiratory pressure (PEP) is commonly applied to
people who have undergone thoracic surgery; however, PEP devices are not
always available. This experimental study investigated if a simple drinking straw
could be used as an alternative PEP device in thoracic surgery patients. It
was therefore considered necessary to define the validity, reliability, safety and
clinical feasibility of this new alternative PEP device in both healthy people and
thoracic surgery patients.
Methods
Twenty-five healthy adults and twenty people who underwent
thoracic surgery were asked to exhale into a mouthpiece-manometerdrinking
straw ‘temporary’ device following standardized verbal instructions
for generating pressures within therapeutic limits (Stage I). In this part of the
study, three straws and two exhalation instructions were assessed to ensure
the validity of the drinking straw as an alternative PEP device. A group of
people that underwent thoracic surgery performed 3 sets of 10 exhalations
though a drinking straw following a specific instruction (Stage II). Peak cough
flow (PCF) was assessed before and after the intervention.
Results
The validation assessment demonstrated that instruction B
generated pressures within the therapeutic limits of 10–20 cmH2O through
a drinking straw of 5 mm inner diameter (Stage I). The mean difference ±
SD of the PCF before and after the intervention was 43.0 ± 36.8 L/min
(p<0.05) (Stage II). Four patients increased their PCF over 160 L/min after
the intervention.
Conclusions
One simple drinking straw could be an alternative PEP device
suitable for people who have undergone thoracic surgery. Exhalations through
a drinking straw by following the appropriate exhalation instruction seem to
increase patients’ PCF. |
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| ISSN: | 1105-848X 1791-4914 |