This talk examines the role of pharmacologic therapies in supporting effective airway clearance across a range of respiratory conditions. Medications are often used to optimize the airway environment by improving secretion properties, enhancing mucociliary transport, and reducing airflow obstruction, thereby complementing mechanical and manual airway clearance techniques. Participants will review the mechanisms of action, indications, and limitations of commonly used airway-clearance drugs, including bronchodilators, mucolytics, expectorants, and anti-inflammatory agents. The talk will address how these medications influence mucus viscosity, airway tone, hydration of secretions, and cough effectiveness, as well as how timing and delivery method impact therapeutic effectiveness.

This talk provides a comprehensive overview of medical devices used to promote secretion clearance in patients with impaired mucus mobilization and cough effectiveness. Device-based airway clearance strategies play a critical role in preventing atelectasis, reducing infection risk, and improving ventilation across acute, chronic, and critical care settings. Participants will review the physiological rationale for device-assisted secretion clearance, including mechanisms that enhance expiratory flow, oscillation, lung volume recruitment, and cough augmentation. The session will examine commonly used devices, including positive expiratory pressure (PEP) and oscillatory PEP systems, high-frequency chest wall oscillation, mechanical insufflation–exsufflation, intrapulmonary percussive ventilation, and adjunctive suctioning techniques.

This talk focuses on the use of medical devices designed to improve cough effectiveness in patients with impaired expiratory flow, respiratory muscle weakness, or compromised airway protection. An effective cough is essential for clearing secretions, preventing atelectasis, and reducing the risk of respiratory infection. When voluntary cough is insufficient, device-assisted strategies can play a critical role in supporting airway clearance and respiratory stability. Participants will review the physiology of cough, including inspiratory volume generation, glottic control, and rapid expiratory flow, and how diseases such as neuromuscular disorders, spinal cord injury, critical illness, and postoperative weakness disrupt this process. The session will examine commonly used cough-assist devices, including mechanical insufflation–exsufflation, lung volume recruitment techniques, manual and mechanical breath stacking, and adjunctive suctioning methods.

This lecture is supported through educational grants by ABM Respiratory Care and Sentec.

This talk explores non-device approaches to airway clearance, focusing on clinical strategies that enhance secretion mobilization and effective cough without reliance on mechanical equipment. These methods remain foundational across care settings and patient populations and are often first-line or adjunctive interventions in comprehensive airway clearance plans. Participants will review the physiological principles underlying effective airway clearance, including lung volume recruitment, expiratory flow generation, and coordination of breathing with cough. The session will discuss how positioning, breathing techniques, and manual interventions can be used to optimize ventilation, improve mucus transport, and reduce secretion retention. Key topics include postural drainage, active cycle of breathing techniques, directed cough and huffing strategies, manual chest techniques, and early mobility. The talk will highlight how these approaches can be adapted based on patient age, diagnosis, cognitive status, and disease severity, with attention to neuromuscular disease, postoperative care, chronic lung disease, and acute illness.

This talk explores disease-specific approaches to airway clearance, emphasizing how variations in respiratory pathology influence the selection, modification, and effectiveness of airway clearance techniques. Participants will examine common and emerging airway clearance strategies across conditions such as cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, neuromuscular disorders, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Through case-based examples and clinical reasoning, the session highlights patient-specific factors, including disease mechanism, secretion characteristics, and functional status, to guide evidence-informed decision-making to optimize respiratory outcomes.

Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) refers to the delivery of positive pressure ventilatory support through a noninvasive interface, characterized by an inspiratory pressure that exceeds expiratory pressure, and performed without the use of an endotracheal or tracheostomy tube. Despite its widespread use, the technical aspects of NIV administration are often underappreciated. This presentation will clarify the technical aspects and provide practical recommendations to optimize NIV application. In addition, aerosol therapy—the delivery of medications directly to the lungs as a mist or powder via nebulizers or inhalers—is a cornerstone in the treatment of respiratory conditions such as asthma and COPD. Among adults, there is considerable variation in how aerosol therapy is delivered, underscoring that a one-size-fits-all approach is ineffective. Updated guidelines provide clarity on the many technical factors that influence optimal aerosol delivery. Together, this presentation integrates key principles and practical guidance for both NIV and aerosol therapy to enhance respiratory care outcomes.