I only need to use percussion when I have a bronchial infection
and/or congestion, usually only when I am in the hospital. Luckily, the
last time that happened was ten years ago. My overall physical condition
is quite stable.(knock on wood!)
Percussion usually works well for me, except my scoliosis,
related to my MD, sometimes makes it pretty tricky to do effectively and
safely. Once, a heavy-handed RT accidently bruised my rib cartilage by
hitting too hard and not properly cupping his hands.
Blane
:-)
On Tue, 14 Oct 1997 13:54:05 -0400 (EDT) Cindysan13(AT)aol.com writes:
>In a message dated 97-10-14 12:42:49 EDT, iandrum(AT)CompuServe.COM
>writes:
>
><< 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
>
>