ICU Bed Percussion & Vibration VS The Vest Airway Clearance System

[ECMO]

Hi. I've posted here some before, with some educational questions. I've written a long post back in 2023 talking about myself so people would understand that I'm not a Nurse, but I'm a long term ventilator patient who honestly knows enough to the point where I think like a Nurse, or an RT, rather than a patient. I've spent more time in ICU than at home. I know ACLS, by heart, have even taken the course and passed, and being that I've been around this stuff all my life, It's natural. I mean I may be a patient, but I give ventilator lectures, and teach nurses a lot all of the time. And I explained that in that post. I jut wanted to point out before I go posting this question, so you all won't get annoyed that a patient I posting. And I tried posting in the area where patients can post, but never got responses when I did that. 

 

   I just ask that you understand. I try not to post here very often, because my past posts annoyed a lot of people. My appologies. I have always tried to be kind and respectful here.

 

   My question is, I'm on a ventilator full time with a tracheostomy. I use a VOCSN ventilator, which doe Ventilation, it has it's own built in O2 Concentrator, AND it even has a 50 PSI connector for a green External High Pressure Hose so in the event I'm in a Hellicopter or ambulance, and they keep me on my portable vent, they can connect me to the 50 PSI O2 source and set precise Fraction O Inspired O2! It does Cough Assist Therapy, which I use often. It has it's own built in suction system, that delivers hospital quality suction which to this day is surprising, considering it isn't wall suction, and it has a Nebulizer function. I like this ventilator for several reasons, one of them being that I can see the Pressure, Flow, and Volume Waveforms, rather than just the Pressure and Flow waveforms like most home ventilators only allow! 

 

   But my question is, I also use a Vest Airway Clearance System which used a modality known as High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation to clear my lungs. In essence, it shakes my chest rapidly to help move secretions upwards so that they can be suctioned using my Ballard Closed Suction System, which gets changed daily. 

 

   So I'm wanting to know from your experience both with vests, and the nice ICU beds that have Percussion & Vibration, what would you say does better with airway clearance? Would you say that's the Percussion & Vibration from the beds, such as the Hill-Rom Progressa beds, or Hill-Rom TotalCare SPORT beds, or would you say the vest does a better job at it? The only beds I've been in in ICU are the Stryker InTouch beds. These are beds that fitted with the XPRT mattress could do Percusion and Vibration, Lateral Rotation, Low Air Loss, Turn Assist, etc, but a lot of times, they're fitted with the air mattress that doesn't allow for P&V and only Does Lateral Rotation, Low Air Loss, Turn Assist, and a LOT of times, two or three days into my ICU stay the bed will not even let you do that, because It gives error notifications about the mattress not being connected. I can't count how many times that's happened.

 

   But the reason I ask this about the beds VS the Vest is because I'm just really curious as to what you nurses think about the Percussion & Vibration on the beds VS the HFCWO vests that us ventilated patients use at home! I use my vest Q2-3 hrs, and it really helps. 

 

   Tank you for taking time to read this horibly long post! TAKE CARE, and God Bless!