Assisted Coughs

• Assisted Coughs:

  • Used in the patient with a weak cough due to poor expiratory muscles function - abdominal muscles and internal intercostals
  • Possible conditions:
  • Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
  • Post spinal cord injury
  • motor neurone disease
  • Guillain Barre Syndrome
• Assisted coughs:

  • The application of a compressive force replacing the work of the expiratory muscles
  • Should direct the force downwards and inwards (apart from Heimlich type which is upwards and inwards)
  • Timing is crucial
  • The sound of the resultant cough is a good indicator of whether you have applied enough force
• Types of Assisted Cough:

  • Supine: Costophrenic angles of ribs
  • Supine: Anterior chest compression
  • Supine: Heimlich-type assist
  • Sitting: Self-assisted
• Heimlich-type assisted cough on patient with DMD

  
• Costophrenic angle assisted cough on patient with DMD