Conventional versus High-Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation Care among Critically Ill Patients: A Comparative Nursing Evaluation of Respiratory Outcomes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31674/mjn.2026.v18i01.011Abstract
Background: The critical care nurse plays a significant role in applying airway clearance methods, including conventional chest wall physiotherapy as well as High-Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation (HFCWO), which became a therapeutic modality to mobilize mucus in different respiratory pathologies. Objectives: To evaluate respiratory outcomes following application of conventional versus high-frequency chest wall oscillation care among critically ill patients. Methods: A quasi-experimental research design was conducted at the respiratory Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Assiut University Hospital, Egypt, on a purposive sample of 60 adult critically ill patients. Patients were selected and assigned to two groups: 30 in the conventional group and 30 in the HFCWO group. Tools: Three tools were utilized in this study I. Clinical and Demographic Profile. II. Respiratory system assessment. III. Patients’ Outcomes. Results: As regards arterial blood gases, there were significant time effects for Partial Pressure of Oxygen in Arterial Blood (PaO2) and Arterial Oxygen Saturation (SaO2). Significant time × group interactions were observed for both variables, indicating greater improvement in the HFCWO group. There were significant differences in volume of secretion on the fourth (p=0.042*) and seventh (p=0.017*) days. Additionally, the HFCWO group's ICU stay was shorter than that of the conventional group, with a statistically significant difference (p=0.032*). Conclusion: HFCWO therapy was more effective in improving respiratory outcomes and decreasing the length of ICU stay than conventional chest physiotherapy. These results support replication of this study using a larger probability sample in several hospitals in Upper Egypt.
Keywords:
Critically Ill Patients, High-Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation, Nursing Evaluation, Respiratory OutcomesDownloads
References
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