Vest Airway Clearance System Features

The Vest Airway Clearance System is an easy-to-use airway clearance device for both children and adults. It was originally introduced and cleared to market by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1988. Model 104 was cleared to market in February, 2003. The device consists of an inflatable vest connected by two tubes to a small air-pulse generator. The current patented version is quiet and easy to transport, enabling people to receive effective airway clearance therapy at home, work, or on the road.

How does The Vest system work?

The air-pulse generator rapidly inflates and deflates the vest, gently compressing and releasing the chest wall up to 20 times per second. This process, called high-frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO), creates mini-coughs that dislodge mucus from the bronchial walls, increase mobilization, and move it along toward central airways. The action also works to thin thick secretions, making them easier to clear. Once the mucus has moved from the smaller to larger airways, it can be easily removed by coughing or suctioning.

Treatments are easy

Most users manage airway clearance therapy without any help. Unlike manual chest percussion therapy (CPT), The Vest Airway Clearance System HFCWO treatment does not require special positioning or breathing techniques. The technology is technique-independent because user or caregiver factors do not compromise its effectiveness. A typical treatment takes 15-20 minutes.

Proven effective

High-frequency chest wall oscillation has been widely described in medical literature. More than 80 studies in more than 60 facilities – spanning 18 years of research – demonstrate the efficacy and safety of HFCWO for a variety of patients.

Widely accepted

The Vest Airway Clearance System is widely accepted and:

• Prescribed to treat secretion-related pulmonary complications in more than 350 diseases and   conditions, including muscular dystrophy, spinal cord injury, chronic obstructive pulmonary   disease (COPD), multiple sclerosis (MS), cerebral palsy (CP) and cystic fibrosis (CF).
• Prescribed for more than 30,000 people with airway clearance needs.
• Prescribed by more than 5,000 physicians across the U.S.
• Being used to maintain healthy lung function in post-operative, ICU and post-lung   transplantation patients.