Evaluation of directed coughing in cystic fibrosis

Supervised directed coughing was compared to conventional physiotherapy (postural drainage, vibration and/or percussion and coughing) in 38 patients with cystic fibrosis aged 9-18 years admitted to hospital with an exacerbation of their pulmonary symptoms. Assessment included objective measures of pulmonary function and sputum characteristics. Both treatment groups showed significant improvement at the end of the 2-week period. When the patients were graded according to their pulmonary disease, those with mild-moderate disease demonstrated a significant improvement in both treatment groups whereas those with severe lung disease showed little improvement with either treatment. Directed coughing is as effective as conventional physiotherapy in the management of patients with cystic fibrosis admitted to hospital for treatment of an exacerbation of their pulmonary symptoms.