![]() ![]() Each session usually takes 20 to 30 minutes. This will depend upon the amount of sputum you usually produce. How long and how many times? Your respiratory physiotherapist will advise you on how many sessions you should do a day. Find a time and place where you can comfortably complete the full session and make airway clearance part of your daily routine. This will ensure the nebulised antibiotic can get into the smallest airways and be more effective. If you have a nebulised antibiotic, use this after your airway clearance. This will help open your airways, allowing air and secretions to move more easily and prevent you from feeling wheezy. It is advisable to use your bronchodilator (also known as a reliever which is usually blue in colour, for example Salbutamol, Ventolin, about 10 to 15 minutes before you try to clear your secretions. Limit the number of huffs to one or two to reduce the chance of becoming wheezy or starting a coughing fit.Īirway clearance is most effective when used in combination with your inhalers or nebulisers.If done correctly, as you breathe out you should hear crackles which may be quite subtle and quiet if there are not many secretions, or louder and more coarse if there are a lot of secretions.Avoid huffing too hard as excessive force may make you wheezy.The secretions should move upwards so you can cough them up or perform a short, sharp huff to move them into your mouth.You should feel your tummy muscles working to push out the air.Open your mouth to an ‘O’ shape and huff the air out, as if trying to steam up a mirror.Take a slow breath in through your nose, a little deeper than normal, but not all the way in. ![]() However, you should try to do one or two towards the end of each session to ensure any secretions are cleared. It may not be necessary to huff after every set of breaths through the Flutter. This technique requires practice and should be checked by a respiratory physiotherapist to ensure you are being as effective as possible. Huffing is designed to move the secretions from the smaller airways upwards to where it is easier to cough and clear. Repeat the above steps for 20 to 30 minutes.If you can feel sputum ready to be cleared, try one or two huffs or cough (described below).Repeat the relaxed breathing for another one to two minutes.Try to suppress your cough during these breaths.Repeat these breaths in and out through the Flutter five to ten times as advised by your respiratory physiotherapist.Try to ensure your cheeks stay still as you breathe out they should not vibrate.Breathe out through the Flutter at a steady rate so that you feel the vibrations in your chest.Pause for two to five seconds to allow your lungs to fill properly.Breathe in slowly through your nose and slightly deeper than normal.Place the Flutter mouthpiece in your mouth and ensure you have a tight seal around it with your lips.Maintain this relaxed breathing for one to two minutes, or as guided by your respiratory physiotherapist.You should feel your tummy softly moving in and out with your breathing.Breathe out through your mouth, at a comfortable speed, without the Flutter.Breathe in slowly through your nose, at a comfortable speed.The Flutter can be used whilst sitting, lying down or in a particular position advised by a respiratory physiotherapist but ensure that the Flutter is well positioned. Get into a comfortable position, with your shoulders and arms relaxed.You can then tilt the device up or down until you get the desired fluttering from the device. This causes the cone to be placed at a slight tilt and allows the ball to bounce and roll within the device which causes the vibrations you feel as you breathe out. The Flutter should be used with the stem in a horizontal position. The angle at which you hold this device is critical. How do I use my Flutter? Positioning when using the Flutter: ![]()
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