Medical Acoustics Lung Flute
Music to your lungs
The nearly 10 million Americans who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease rely on medications and strenuous coughing to help break up the thick gobs of mucus clogging their lungs. The Lung Flute does the job with just 15 to 20 puffs of air. Blowing into the reed instrument (see how it's done here) sends a steady 16-hertz vibration into a user’s chest, dislodging mucus in the lungs so that it’s easier to cough up. Scheduled to receive FDA approval this fall, the flute also serves as an easy method for collecting deep-lung sputum for tuberculosis tests—especially useful in developing countries where TB is prevalent.
For more on how the Lung Flute came to be, see our Innovator Profile on inventor Sandy Hawkins.
$40; medicalacoustics.com
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Medical Acoustics Lung Flute
Music to your lungs
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Just went to the medical acoustics website on 11/10 and it is impossible to order, now that the FDA has approved it. On 11/13 they added a nifty box that explains you will need a doctor's prescription in order to get it.
The REAL quesiton is: how much will be charged for it now that it has FDA approval??? My guess is WAY more than $40.
I would be interested to talk to my Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Doctors. There are others out on the market that are very similar but you can control the pressure it takes to blow into the device. Check out the Accapela and Flutter if you are interested. The Flutter is the more expensive one of the two and I remember it was around ?? gee I got it free with my insurance. This flute looks like you can make it yourself. The real test is to try it out on the CF population since we have the thickest mucouse of the bunch. My favorite by far but not cheap ($ 6000) to remove mucous from the lungs is the Vest by Hill-Rom Respirtory therapists use these in hospitals now for any one bed ridden. COPD, after surgery etc. I love it and it's just a little bigger than a shoe box. I put my vest on and hook up the hoses and set the pressure and pulse and away I go for 20-60 min. I read, write and best of all God has used this medical device to keep me alive...I'm 43 years old and if you know anything about CF I'm a miracle! Happy research
This has a tape inside that vibrates at 16 Hz. Maybe any source of 16Hz sound would do.