Airway Clearance and Mucoactive Therapies

Semin Respir Crit Care Med 2021; 42: 616-622 DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1730922The respiratory system is constantly exposed to external pathogens but has different and effective defense systems. The pathophysiology of bronchiectasis affects the defense system considerably in that alterations occur in the airway that reduce its effectiveness in mucociliary clearance and the greater presence of mucins leads to the accumulation of more adherent and viscous mucus. One of the pillars of treatment of this disease should be improvement of mucociliary clearance and a decrease in the adherence and viscosity of the mucus. To this end, the mobilization of secretions must be increased through effective respiratory physiotherapy techniques, which can be manual and/or instrumental. The properties of mucus can be modified to improve its mobilization through the use of a mucoactive agent. Despite the increase in the number and quality of studies, the evidence for these treatments remains scarce, although their application is recommended in all guidelines. [...] Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc. 333 Seventh Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10001, USAArticle in Thieme eJournals: Table of contents  |  Abstract  |  Full text
Source: Seminars in Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Review Article Source Type: research