Acute lobar atelectasis: A comparison of five physiotherapy regimens

Thirty-five patients with acute lobar atelectasis were allocated to one of five treatment groups (seven patients per group). Intubated patients received manual hyperinflation and suction with or without the addition of postural drainage or modified postural drainage and chest wall vibrations. For the non-intubated patients, deep breathing, coughing and huffing replaced the techniques of manual hyperinflation and suction. Frequency of treatment ranged from hourly for 6 h for four groups, to one treatment only for the fifth group. The results suggest that modified postural drainage is an effective additional component to manual hyperinflation and suction performed hourly for 6 h. The addition of chest wall vibrations to this treatment regimen did not further enhance the response to treatment, nor did the use of traditional postural drainage positions. There was evidence that hourly treatment for 6 h using modified postural drainage, manual hyperinflation and suction was more effective than one treatment only.