acapella® choice helps cystic fibrosis patients

Smiths Medical is a leader in respiratory health and acapella® choice is part of its bronchial hygiene product range. Available on Drug Tariff, acapella® choice is an easy to use PEP therapy device. The acapella® device produces airflow vibrations that effectively mobilise secretions and help open airways. It can be used in a specialist clinical setting, such as a respiratory department, on a hospital ward or at home.

Cystic fibrosis is a life-shortening inherited disease affecting thousands of people in the UK.  Each week, five babies are born with cystic fibrosis and two people die from the condition in the UK. Cystic fibrosis is caused by a faulty gene and more than 2.5 million people in the UK carry it.(1) This gene controls the movement of salt and water in and out of the body’s cells so the lungs and digestive system of a sufferer become clogged with mucus, making it hard to breathe and digest food.

Currently no cure exists for cystic fibrosis but many treatments are available to manage it, including physiotherapy, exercise, medication and nutrition. Looking after the chest and keeping the lungs clear is an important part of the care of cystic fibrosis patients, as the mucus produced by the lungs is stickier than normal and cystic fibrosis lungs are more prone to infection. Infection in the lungs also leads to swelling of the airways and this makes the airway tubes narrower. The airways react to this swelling by producing more mucus. All of these factors can make it more difficult for people with cystic fibrosis to clear mucus from their lungs.

Chest physiotherapy is widely prescribed to assist the clearance of airway secretions in people with cystic fibrosis. PEP devices, like acapella® choice, provide Positive Expiratory Pressure during expiration. This can improve clearance by building up gas behind mucus via collateral ventilation.

acapella® choice is an easy to use, cost effective device that can be used within community clinics or a hospital environment for a range of respiratory conditions, including cystic fibrosis. It can also be self-administered at home, or in the workplace, to help manage the patient’s condition without the assistance of a clinician and help prevent emergency hospital admissions, which in turn helps to reduce costs to the NHS.(2,3)

acapella® choice is functional in any position, including Trendelenburg, standing or sitting. The device has a one-way inspiratory valve, which allows inhalation without removal from the mouth using a mouth piece or a face mask. The device can be used with a nebuliser, which is connected via a tee adaptor and is also easily disassembled for disinfection at home or in a hospital environment.

For more information on the acapella® choice device, or on Smiths Medical’s secretion management programme and product range, please contact Cliff Pool, on 07812 151 829, email [email protected] or visit www.smiths-medical.com