Cough assist devices are an important part of care for people with muscle-wasting conditions that cause respiratory weakness. They help to improve cough function, clear secretions and reduce the risk of chest infections, which can be life-threatening.
Cough assist devices have lots of possible settings, and despite being used widely, there is a lack of knowledge on the best settings to improve cough function. This has resulted in a wide variation in clinical practice.
This project will help to address this by testing a range of settings on an artificial lung connected to a cough assist device. The researchers will then identify which settings are most likely to result in clinical benefit.
Of course an artificial lung is very different to a lung inside a person, so the findings from this project will need to be verified in a clinical study. This will also allow the researchers to understand more about patient comfort when using the cough assist device. Although more powerful settings will help to clear secretions, they can be uncomfortable and cause people to stop using the device or not use it often enough. This highlights the need to identify the most ‘comfortable’ settings that give maximal clinical benefit.
For further information
If you would like further details about this research project, please contact the MDUK Research Line on 02078034813 or email research@musculardystrophyuk.org.
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