Farmville, NC, Jan 08, 2018

D•R Burton Healthcare Products LLC, makers of the vPEP® Oscillating Positive Expiratory Pressure (OPEP) device, was featured in a new study indicating superior performance against competitive products in secretion clearance. The article by Doug Pursley, MEd, RRT-ACCS, FAARC, “Effect of Inspiratory Time on PEF/PIF Ratio in Three Oscillating PEP Devices in an Adult Chronic Bronchitis Model,“ was published in the 2018 winter issue of the journal of Respiratory Therapy.

The study utilized a human lung simulator to analyze the vPEP and two competitors against three measures of OPEP effectiveness: flow amplitude, expiratory pressure, and the ratio of peak expiratory flow to peak inspiratory flow. The study revealed the superiority of the vPEP against competitors in all measures, and confirms a previous study which identified expiratory flow bias as a key driver in moving secretions up the airway. Expiratory flow bias occurs in breathing when a patient’s peak expiratory flowrate exceeds their peak inspiratory flowrate.

“D-R Burton Healthcare is changing the paradigms by which respiratory professionals evaluate OPEP therapy,” says Dennis Cook, BSRT, RRT, and CEO of D R Burton. “This landmark study shows expiratory flow bias as a key driver of secretion mobilization, whereas the industry had previously emphasized the importance of pressure which hasn’t been proven for airway clearance,” says Cook.

Additionally the study revealed the importance for patients to perform a slow, prolonged inspiration during oscillating PEP therapy. A slow inspiration combined with a breath hold and forced exhalation will allow for the greatest possible expiratory flow bias and secretion clearance. Cook says, “The vPEP not only outperforms its competitors across the three measures in this study, but it’s also the first OPEP device with instructions for use that are aligned with this study.”

For more information about this important clinical research and the D-R Burton Healthcare family of OPEP products, clinicians can contact their local D-R Burton Healthcare Region Manager at (252) 228-7038.

REFERENCE: Pursley, D.M., “Effect of Inspiratory Time on PEF/PIF Ratio in Three Oscillating PEP Devices in an Adult Chronic Bronchitis Model,” Respiratory Therapy 2017; Volume 13, No. 1, 51-54.