Bronchiectasis.. Thinking of buying an Aerosure Medic for mucus clearance

[Phill1]

Hi fellow BE sufferers

I do use the Aerobika once a day which does work for my mucus clearance.. Usually takes me 40-50 mins... On a good day 30'

However have read that the Aerosure is quicker? .. Which would be useful for those occasions when I'm away for a day or two and don't feel have as much time to spend doing clearance.. Plus when Aerobika washed and draining can't be used till next day & I do occasionally feel I would be useful to do a quick session at bedtime

Anyone here find the Aerosure useful ? It's not cheap so would appreciate your advice on this

(Also regards the Aerobika..should you / do you inhale through the device ( mouth) or through your nose.)

[Ozzie3]

Hi PhilAs far as the Aerobika goes, you breath both in and out through the mouthpiece (not through your nose).

As far as the Aerosure goes, I should be getting mine next week and I will then reply to your post telling you how I found it. I do know the aerosure has two modes: one to help loosen phlegm, the other to strengthen chest muscles so that you feel less breatless. With bronchectasis, most sufferers would want the phlegm loosening so they can ough it up. Again you breathe in and out through the mouthpiece which makes your airways vibrate dislodging the phlegm.

To wash the Aerosure you soak the top section and mouthpiece (not the handle!) in Milton made up from Milton tablets or Milton liquid for just 15 minutes. You have to let it dry before use. They suggest doing this once a week; unless you are very prone to getting chest infections in which case they recommend you do this after each time you use it. Every one with bronchiectasis is more prone to chest infections but I think that they have peole who have had very troublesome infections (e,g, pseudomonas) for the more frequent soaking in Milton.

All the best

[Phill1 in reply to Ozzie3]

Thanks Ozzie3…Would really appreciate your thoughts once you’ve used the device 👍

I’ve mostly been breathing in via my nose using the aerobika which feels more comfortable and seem to get more air into my lungs ? but had read should use via mouthpiece.. must try harder!

Have pseudomonas so scrupulous cleaning after is important ..

[Ozzie3 in reply to Phill1]

Hi Phil, I will definitely let you know. Hopefully it will arrive on time and then I need a few days to assess it. It needs to be charged (a 12-hour charge gives a week of use) and cleaned before first use.

[Metal-legs]

I've not heard of the Aerosure, I will ask the lung nurse about it later this month. As for the Aerobika I have always been advised to inhale through the nose and exhale through the mouthpiece with your fingers over your cheeks. I find the cleaning a real bind as it takes so long to dry.

[Phill1]

Thanks… so agree about the cleaning.. that’s why I feel the need to get another device . Hoping a few more BE friends will feedback on the Aerosure 🤞🤞

[Ozzie3]

Hi Phil,

My Aerosure arrived on Monday, and so I have been using it for the past three days. I charged it for 12 hours after it arrived and it should not need a change for the rest of the week.

I have only used it on 'mucus relief mode' to help clear my lungs of phlegm. Its easy to use: the mouthpiece is comfortable and its easy to hold the handle. Your lips fit over the mouthpiece which creates a good seal. You breathe in and out slowly through the mouthpiece 15 times and really feel your chest vibrating. I do it standing up so that I can take deep breaths. Then after huffing to clear my small airways and double-breathing to clear the large ones, I easily cough up phlegm. I like the feeling after using it - it’s almost like you've had a lung massage:). I do think it is essential that you breathe both in and out through the machine because otherwise your breath won't vibrate on both inspiration and expiration. You may then not 'shake up' your airways sufficiently to loosen the mucous in your lungs.

I bought Milton tablets and also a Milton Solo Travel Steriliser. The latter is just a plastic container with a screw lid and you could use any plastic container with a tight-fitting lid in its place. At night I pop the mouthpiece and valve head in the Travel Steriliser, add one Milton tablet, close it and give it a shake. It stays like that overnight. In the morning I take the mouth piece and valve head out, rinse off the Milton fluid under the tap and leave them to dry. I use it later in the morning when it's dry and then put it into the plastic case that came with it. I use it again in the evening without a second cleaning.

I haven't used the 'breathe easier mode'. In this mode the Aerosure produces a steady resistance when you breathe in and out (they recommend you do it for five minutes). This is supposed to strengthen your breathing muscles. It may also push open your airways. However, I have a concern about this mode in someone with bronchiectasis like me in that it may push mucous deeper into my lungs, which would not be good and so I don't intend using it,

I can't compare the Aerosure to the Aerobika because I have not used an Aerobika.

On the basis of my experience with thee Aerosure so far, I am very happy with it. I don't know how helpful this will be for you, because we are all different.

[Phill1 in reply to Ozzie3]

Thanks for that really useful information OzzieThink I’ll buy one…& I’ll let you know how I get on! Just wanted to hear something current & positive from someone with BE.

Do you think buying a set with 2 heads would be more useful?

I use a plastic container and Milton tablets for a weekly sterilization of my Aerobika which I Soapy Wash and dry daily.

Not sure what you mean by double breathing though?.. let me know

Thanks again 😁

[Ozzie3 in reply to Phill1]

The heads are 'relatively' cheap. They do recommend that you get a new one every 6 months. I find the delay for me is waiting for the head to dry after I have rinsed off the Milton liquid. A second head could solve this problem so that you always have a clean head. A solution that I am planning is to buy one of the electric combined sanitizer-dryer boxes that are designed for keeping babies bottles sterilized and dry. I know that some people who use CPAP machines (to treat sleep apnoea) find them useful for sterilizing and drying their bibs and bobs. You can buy them on Amazon. I wouldn’t use it for sterilizing, as only the Milton method is recommended by the Aerosure makers (they don't use brand names, but Milton contains the chemical they recommend). I would use it to dry the head and to store the head once dried until I need it. I think this will speed things up. Unfortunately, I haven't found anyone to guide me on this, so I will have to try it and see. You may know what I call 'double-breathing' by a different name. You can see it here (where she refers to it as 'high-level huffing'): youtu.be/8UKd-GRNUFk(Not working as expected?)

[Phill1 in reply to Ozzie3]

Hi OzzieUpdate on my Aerosure purchased couple weeks ago. Haven’t found it very effective at shifting my mucus.. reverting back to my aerobika each time to get full clearance

Having said that have only used it 4 times mainly as also did not like the sensation when using it .. but will persevere.. once this heatwave is over!

Is one session 10-15 breaths only? Or can you do a few rounds of these at a time.. doesn’t make it clear in the leaflet.

Think I’ll put another post in asking other members their thoughts

How are you getting on with it so far?

Bws

..Pat

[Ozzie3 in reply to Phill1]

Sorry to hear that Phil. It works for me. I haven’t tried the Aerobika though . Maybe I should. Having used both, can you explain how they differ from your perspective. That would be helpful to me. I now have a sanitizer/dryer box (made by Zipzulu) and that has made cleaning, drying, and storing the Aerosure head and mouthpiece a breeze.

P.S. Do you have a manometer attached to your Aerobika?

[Phill1 in reply to Ozzie3]

Hi again Ozzie. Thanks for replyingStill struggling with it

When you breathe out through The aerobica it provides sight resistance through a flutter valve that vibrates in your lungs to loosen the mucus. There is a gauge from 1 to 5 which increases resistance . I can do as many breaths throughout my 30-50 min lung clearance session

Which is why I’m not sure of the Aerosure

As it states one session of 10-15 breaths? Which hasn’t been enough to bring up my mucus. Does just the one session work for you?

[Ozzie3 in reply to Phill1]

Yes it works for me; however, I have ordered an Aerobika to see if it is even better. I will keep you posted.

[Ozzie3 in reply to Ozzie3]

Hi Phil

I have now bought the Aerobika and have used it for a couple of days. I don’t find any difference between the Aerosure and Aerobika as far as how effective they are in getting up mucous. They both help me. To me they both seem to do the same thing: offer resistance to you expiration and cause your expiration to vibrate. The resistance opens your airways and the vibration shakes your mucous loose. The advantage of the Aerobika is that you can adjust the resistance, you can attach a manometer to tell you how hard to breath out, it’s cheaper, and you can also attach a nebuliser to deliver medication. The advantage of the Aerosure is that it’s a much more robust and solid piece of equipment and is easier to clean (you clean just the detachable valve head and mouth piece, not the whole thing). As far as how long you should use it for and for how many sessions a day, I think that the different instructions given for the two just reflects what the makers think is reasonable. I can’t see why you can’t use your Aerosure for as long as you use your Aerobika if that is what helps you.

[Phill1 in reply to Ozzie3]

Hi again.. Have had a mouth ulcer so stopped trying the airosure but will have another go next week . Would like to persevere as ..as you say more robust than the aerobika. 🤞But Whichever clears the mucus quickest would be my preferred device! How long do you spend on your lung clearance session?

Thanks

[Ozzie3]

Hi Phil, Sorry to hear about the mouth ulcer.

I used the Aerosure and the Aerobika for the same length of time - 20 breaths in and out per session for two sessions per day. I now only use the Aerosure. I find that works for me. I don’t always cough up mucous straight after using it, but I know that if I use it the mucous will eventually come up more easily than if I hadn’t used it . I clean them both in the same way also. I soak the parts in Milton. Later I take them out, rinse them, give them a shake, and put them in the Zipzulu sanitizer/dryer until I need them again. After the Zipzulu has sterilised and dried them, it goes into ‘storage mode’ for 72 hours where it keeps them sterilised and dry by periodic blasts of UV light and heat. When not in use, I keep the handle of the Aerosure in the plastic box it came in. I am amazed how long the charge last for - I still haven’t had to recharge it.

[Ozzie3]

P.S. As far as the price of the Aerobika versus the Aerosure goes, the Aerobika maker recommends that you replace the whole Aerobika each year, whereas the Aerosure maker recommends that you relpace just the head. As the Aerosure head is quite cheap (its the handle that is expensive to make), this makes the Aerosure cheper than the Aerobika in the long run. As far as the question of robustness goes, I think the Aerosure will last for ever, but the Aerobika is made out of such thin plastic that I am not sure it will last a year.