Abstract
Summary This study was designed to assess the efficacy of the flutter VRPl device as an adjunct to and in comparison with standard chest physiotherapy for adult patients after thoracotomy. Twenty patients gave informed consent and completed the trial. They each received in random order on four immediately postoperative days: one day of physiotherapy only, one of flutter only, one of flutter and physiotherapy, and one of sham flutter and physiotherapy. Vital capadty and 24-hour sputum volume were measured dally. Visual analogue scares of chest comfort, breathing difficulty, and ease of expectoration were recorded. Means were compared by analysis of variance. No statistically significant differences were found between the effects of the four treatments on any of the indices measured. We conclude that in post-thorecotomy patients th8re would be no gain in adding the flutter VRPl to physioulerapy, nor in substituting it for physiotherapy. A larger study with more pawer to detect differences would be needed to ascertain whether flutter was disadvantageous.
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