<< Sorry if this is rather late but I wonder if you could elaborate on the
above. I.e. what is a hand held percussor, who makes them and what
exactly do you mean by postural drainage. I only ask because I have a lot
of trouble with morning secretions.
Ian >>
Dear Ian, I am not sure od any brand names of hand held percussers. They
are run by electricity. Any respiratory therapist would know what they are.
The definition of percussion is: striking the outside of the part of the
body overlying the lung fields over the with short sharp blows with the
fingers or cupped hands.
The idea is Is to jar loose congestion in the lungs, so it can be coughed up
or suctioned out more easily. A percusser is a vibrating machine made
specifically for the purpose of percussing lungs. It gets very tiring to do
percusss with your bare hands .The degree of the vibration on the percussor
can be set at a level that is constant at the maximum degree before it is
uncomfortable to the patient.
One needs to avoid running the percusser over the shoulder blades or bony
prominences. (It Hurts) Every patient /client seems to find a percussion
ritual that works best for them. It works best to do each side for at least
five minutes.
Postural drainage refers to the postion of the patient. It utilizes the
forces of gravity to move secretions up from the lungs to the trachea where
they can be coughed up or suctioned out more easily.
How many of you people on the list use Percusion and postural drainage? I
have used it on every vent dependent client I have ever had. A good
percussion session seems have a direct effect on the amount of secretions
they have that day or night.
I wish you the best!!!
Cindy RN