Journal of Medical and Surgical Intensive Care Medicine 2015 , Vol 6, Issue 3
Has High-Frequency Oscillation Technique Any Benefit to Prevent Pulmonary Complications in Abdominal Surgery Patients?
Serbülent Kaya 1 , Afra Yıldırım 2 , Gülseren Elay 3 , Ramazan Coşkun 3 , Kürşat Gündoğan 3 , Muhammet Güven 3 , Murat Sungur 3 , İsmail Hakkı Akbudak 4
1Erciyes Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Genel Cerrahi Anabilim Dalı, Yoğun Bakım Ünitesi, Kayseri, Türkiye
2Erciyes Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Radyodiagnostik Anabilim Dalı, Kayseri, Türkiye
3Erciyes Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, İç Hastalıkları Anabilim Dalı, Yoğun Bakım Bilim Dalı, Kayseri, Türkiye
4Pamukkale Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, İç Hastalıkları Anabilim Dalı, Denizli, Türkiye
DOI : 10.5152/dcbybd.2015.804

Objective: Postoperative patients requiring intensive care are at risk of developing pneumonia and clearance of secretions may be difficult because of the type of surgery and pain. Enhanced mucociliary clearance with high-frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) therapy devices were previously used in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and thoracic surgery patients. We studied the short-term effects of HFCWO on postoperative abdominal surgery patients. 

Material and Methods: Non-intubated postoperative abdominal surgery patients requiring intensive care were included in the study. Patients were randomized either to the standard chest physiotherapy group (early mobilization, incentive spirometry, postural drainage) or standard chest physiotherapy plus HFCWO group. HFCWO was applied for 10 min at 12 hz frequency. Laboratory data were collected for 3 days, and patients were followed until discharge from the hospital. 

Results: We included 40 patients in each group. The mean age of the patients was 62.78±13 years; 32 of the patients in the study were women and 48 were men. There was no difference between the two groups according to acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II score, length of stay in the intensive care unit (ICU), length of hospital stay, invasive and non-invasive mechanical ventilation requirement, overall mortality rate, and ICU mortality rate. There were no complications related to HFCWO therapy.

Conclusion: HCFWO therapy did not help in improving the physiological parameters and had no effect on the duration of ICU and hospital stay and mortality. The number of nosocomial pneumonia attacks was lower with HFCWO, but did not reach statistical difference. HFCWO is a safe technique, in which we did not observe any complications.    

Keywords : Abdominal surgery, chest physiotherapy, high-frequency chest wall oscillation therapy