SmartVest
SQL Airway Clearance System
www.smartvest.com
1
What is HFCWO?
What is High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO)?
High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO) has been an effective form of
airway clearance therapy for more than 20 years. HFCWO, administered by
the patented
SmartVest
, creates a “squeeze and release” action around the
chest and torso from 5-20 times per second. The
SmartVest
inflates and delivers
vigorous, yet comfortable, air pulses to the body through a single-hose powered
by a programmable air pulse generator. The rapid squeeze and release action
of an HFCWO treatment simulates repetitive “mini-coughs,” which have been
reported to effectively:
• Shear mucus away from the walls of a lung’s airways.
1
• Reduce the viscosity of the secretions.
2
• Propel the mucus toward the larger airways where it can be expectorated
or suctioned more easily.
1, 2
1- Chang HK, Weber ME, King M. Mucus transport by high-frequency nonsymmetrical oscillatory airflow. J Appl
Physiol 1988; 65(3): 1203-1209.
2- Majaesic C, Montgomery M, Jones R, King M. Reduction in sputum viscosity using high frequency chest
compressions compared to conventional chest physiotherapy. Pediatr Pulmonol 1996; Suppl 13: A358.
