Oscillation and Lung Expansion Therapy as Rescue Airway Clearance in Critically Ill Adults: A Case Series

Introduction

Retained airway secretions and lobar collapse are common in hospitalized adults with advanced lung disease. Conventional airway clearance depends on respiratory effort, requiring both an adequate inspiratory volume and sufficient expiratory airflow, and on cough strength, and therefore fails most often in the patients who need it most. Oscillation and lung expansion (OLE) therapy delivers continuous positive expiratory pressure (CPEP), continuous high-frequency oscillation (CHFO), and aerosolized medication in a single 10-min treatment, but reported experience is largely confined to postoperative prophylaxis and the home setting.