Clinical Outcomes

High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO) has been widely described in medical literature. More than 80 studies demonstrate the efficacy and safety of HFCWO for a variety of patients. Peer-reviewed studies demonstrate that The Vest® System Airway Clearance System clears mucus1, 2 more effectively and helps maintain or improve pulmonary functions3, 4 better than conventional chest physiotherapy.

In clinical outcomes studies, The Vest® System is associated with:

Additional studies suggest that The Vest® System is a safe and effective Airway Clearance Therapy for:

HFCWO administered via The Vest® System is associated with:

More Effective than CPT graph

In a comparative study of 29 patients, The Vest® System cleared three times more mucus than CPT.

Kluft, 1996

Exercise Capacity graph

In a 90-day assessment of the effects of therapy with The Vest® System, COPD patients completing the study and continuing treatment with The Vest® System achieved statistically and clinically significant improvements in six-minute walk distances compared with patients completing the study and then choosing to discontinue therapy.

Source: Rumbak MJ, Marchione VL, Kennedy TC, Rolfe MW. Ninety-day assessment of the effect of High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO) on exercise tolerance and quality of life of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Chest 2001; 120:4(Suppl):250S

View poster (presented at ACCP Chest Conference, November 2001)

Patient Adherence graph

A recently validated survey instrument to assess patient satisfaction with various airway clearance techniques has shown that users of The Vest® System reported the highest levels of overall satisfaction and adherence when compared to CPT and the Flutter® valve. The Vest® System users demonstrated the link between increased satisfaction and better treatment adherence by reporting significantly fewer missed therapies than with either CPT or the Flutter® System.

Flutter® is a registered trademark of Varioraw Percutive SARL.

Oermann, 2000

Post-Cardiac operative chart

In a retrospective chart review of 130 consecutive post-cardiac surgical patients, 67 received post-operative therapy with The Vest® System. Outcomes data show that The Vest® System was both safe and well tolerated in this patient population.

Source: Unpublished data courtesy of Dr. Mace Braxton, Salina Regional Health Center, Salina, Kansas.

View poster

Rate of Lung Procurement graph

In a prospective study to evaluate the effects of HFCWO administered via The Vest® System as part of the management protocol for lung donors, the quantity and quality of transplantable lungs increased.

Source: Babcock W, Menza RL, Riznyk S, Prince P, Kern TJ. Results of a prospective study using High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation for brain dead organ donors. J Heart Lung Trans, 2002;21(1):A239

  1. Hansen L, Warwick W. High frequency chest compression system to aid in clearance of mucus from the lung. Biomed Instrum Technol 1990; 24: 289-294. full bibliography here
  2. Kluft J, Beker L, Castagnino M, Gaiser J, Chaney H, Fink R. A comparison of bronchial drainage treatments in cystic fibrosis. Pediatr Pulmonol 1996; 22: 271-274. full bibliography here
  3. Warwick WJ, Hansen LG. The long-term effect of high frequency chest compression therapy on pulmonary complications of cystic fibrosis. Pediatr Pulmonol 1991; 11: 265-271. full bibliography here
  4. Anbar RD, Powell KN, Iannuzzi DM. Short-term effect of ThAIRapy® Vest on pulmonary function of cystic fibrosis patients. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1998; 157(Suppl 3): A130. full bibliography here