Treatment techniques.

Treatment techniques

Positioning
Positioning the patient optimizes cardiovascular and cardio- pulmonary
function and thus oxygen transport. Correct positioning of the patient
can maximize lung volume, lung compliance and the
ventilation/perfusion ratio. It can also reduce the work of breathing and
aid secretion removal and cough. This may involve positioning adult
patients in side lying with the ‘good’ lung (dependent) facing down and
the‘bad’ lung (non-dependent) facing uppermost. Always monitor the
patient after positioning.



Precautions when placing ‘bad’ lung up
● Recent pneumonectomy
● Large pleural effusion
● Bronchopleural fistula
● Presence of a large tumour in a main stem bronchus

Note: Positioning small children and infants to maximize
ventilation/perfusion – rather than for postural drain- age and removal
of secretions – requires a different approach from that used with adults.



Postural drainage
Positioning the patient according to the anatomy of the bronchial tree
in order to use gravity to assist drainage of secretions.

, Contraindications
● Hypertension
● Severe dyspnoea
● Recent surgery
● Severe haemoptysis
● Nose bleeds
● Advanced pregnancy
● Hiatus hernia
● Cardiac failure
● Cerebral oedema