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About The Vest^® Airway Clearance System
This information will acquaint you with basic facts about The Vest^® Airway Clearance System. It is intended to help you select the most appropriate and effective method for your patients who need Airway Clearance Therapy. Please take a few moments to look over the material.

What is The Vest^® System?
The Vest^® Airway Clearance System consists of an inflatable vest connected by Air Hoses to an Air Pulse Generator. The Air Pulse Generator rapidly inflates and deflates the inflatable vest, gently compressing and releasing the chest wall up to 20 times per second. This technology is called High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO).

How does The Vest^® System work?

The Vest^® System, using HFCWO, generates increased airflow velocities that create repetitive cough-like shear forces in the lungs and decrease the viscosity of secretions. These effects move mucus toward the larger airways, where it can be cleared by coughing or suctioning. HFCWO is associated with improved pulmonary functions and reduced costs for patients, insurance payers and hospitals.

What risk factors are indications for Airway Clearance Therapy?
The need for airway clearance is not disease-specific, but may arise from a variety of risk factors that impair normal secretion clearance, including:

• Recurrent respiratory infections
• Mucus plugging and atelectasis
• Hyperproduction of secretions
• Abnormally thick, sticky secretions
• Ineffective cough
• Respiratory muscle weakness
• Increased risk for aspiration
• Immobility
• Artificial airway
  

What are some of the diseases and conditions for which The Vest^® System is prescribed?
In cystic fibrosis, primary ciliary dyskinesia, or bronchiectasis, secretion clearance therapy is an established standard of care. However, in conditions other than primary disorders of the mucociliary system, Airway Clearance Therapy is generally prescribed when an individual patient's pulmonary health is compromised by adverse events arising from one or more risk factors. The Vest® System has been prescribed for airway clearance therapy for patients with health complications associated with more than 570 diseases and conditions. These include:

• Cystic fibrosis (CF)
• Asthma
• Bronchiectasis
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
• Cerebral palsy (CP)
• Muscular dystrophy (MD)
• Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
• Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)
• Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD)
• Spinal cord injury
• Post-lung transplantation
• Reactive airway disease from such conditions as Down syndrome
• Ventilator dependence, and a variety of other conditions affecting pulmonary function
  

Conditions that can complicate airway clearance include ineffective ciliary clearance, excessive secretions, thick secretions, ineffective cough, restrictive lung disease, immobility, and dysphagia / aspiration / gastroesophageal reflux.

How many physicians have prescribed The Vest^® System?

The Vest^® System is used world wide:

• Prescribed by more than 12,000 physicians
• Used by more than 70,000 patients
• Used by more than 2,500 hospitals (both on general floors and ICUs)

What clinical outcomes information is available?
HFCWO has been studied extensively. Safety and efficacy are established by more than 80 clinical trials conducted at over 60 research institutions.

Peer-reviewed studies demonstrate that HFCWO clears mucus and helps improve or maintain pulmonary functions more effectively than conventional chest physiotherapy (CPT).

HFCWO, the technology behind The Vest® System, is associated with:

• Superior secretion clearance
• Improved exercise tolerance
• High patient satisfaction and therapy adherence
• Reduced healthcare costs

What are other advantages of prescribing The Vest^® System?
In-home training is provided — Hill-Rom has a team of healthcare professionals throughout the United States that provides comprehensive, in-home training to new users of The Vest^® System. In-home training is provided in most cases. In those locations where coverage is not possible, phone training is provided.
It provides consistent therapy — The Vest^® System provides consistently reliable treatments, treating all segments of the lungs simultaneously. 
The Vest^® System encourages treatment adherence — The Vest® System is not technique dependent and for most users requires little or no assistance. The Vest® System offers greater independence and eases the burden of care for families and caregivers alike. Treatments are brief, permit concurrent use of aerosolized medications, and by virtue of their simplicity, encourage treatment adherence. 
Patient adherence is monitored and the results are shared with you — The Air Pulse Generator displays the total number of hours that the device has been used to monitor patient adherence. Hourly usage is recorded and adherence results are shared with you upon request.

The Vest^® System, Model 205 – Acute Care
When you need a way to clear airway secretions that can complicate patient recovery and you want to reduce the time needed to deliver therapy…
The Vest^® Airway Clearance System is the solution.

What advantages does The Vest^® Airway Clearance System, Model 205 offer clinicians?

• Proven to be at least as safe as CPT
• Reduces the need to change head of bed into Trendelenburg position
  

• Reduces the need to reposition the patient
• Reduces average therapy time compared to CPT
• Easy to:

- Use
- Program
- Transport
- Position bed or chair side
- Place disposable vests

• Mobilizes secretions at least as well as CPT
• Provides consistent therapy every time
• Allows concurrent administration of aerosol treatment
• Eases off pressure when paused