Re: Info reguested re: Passey-Muir valve.
W Hinsvark (chill(AT)canby1.canby.com)
Wed, 17 Sep 1997 17:36:34 -0700
blane n beckwith by way of James Lubin wrote:
>
> I have been considering getting a Passey-Muir to better
> facilitate speech. First, I would like to ask a couple of questions,
> hopefully to be answered by people who have experience with it.
>
> For the past 10-11 years, I have relied on a Shiley cuffless
> trach that allows me to talk "around" it because its uncuffed state
> allows air to pass by it and through my vocal cords. The problem with
> this system is because my vent breathes on a timed cycle (14
> breaths/min.), it forces me to pause when talking. As you might
> imagine, this is an impediment to my being able to carry on the flow of a
> conversation. People who don't understand this, or are just plain rude,
> often use these pauses to talk over me. It gets very frustrating!
>
> My first, and most important, question is, will the Passey-Muir
> valve help eliminate these pauses and make it easier for me to carry on a
> "normal" conversation? My other question is, is a Passey-Muir valve
> difficult to learn to use? I greatly appreciate anyones help. Thanks!
>
> Blane
> :-)
Blane, I have been using a passey-Muir valve now for three years and I
keep it in all the time. I find it very useful. I have no breaks in my
speech my vent is set at 12 breaths per minute with a flow rate of 64.
When I first started I had problems with a runny nose for around 3
months but after that cleared up it worked just fine. I had to break it
in easily by wearing it for only a couple hours at a time but worked up
to wearing it all the time. I find it helps clear secretions by forcing
all the Air out of your lungs through your trachea instead of your
trache, also you can stack a couple of breaths and cough. I have a
shilly trache cuffless. At night I flush with a couple of fishes and am
usually able to clear all my secretions, I usually get suctioned about
once every 2 weeks. Bill