Westmed, Inc., a producer of respiratory medical devices, recently announced a 510 (k) clearance grant from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to distribute the Vibralung Acoustical Percussor (VAP), a device designed to help patients with respiratory diseases or difficulties in releasing secretions from the lungs.

According to a company press release, the company revealed that the VAP works through vibratory sound waves released in the tracheobronchial tract during the “in and out” respiratory movement that help to release the mucus trapped in the airways, offering a safe and effective Airway Clearance Tharapy (ACT). The device works by producing vibratory sound waves, applying them during inspiration and exhalation across a broad spectrum of frequencies (from 5 to 1,200 Hz).

The VAP also uses Positive Expiratory Pressure (PEP). Aerosol therapy with Westmed’s Circulaire II Hybrid delivery system can also be used to simultaneously distribute respiratory medication.

Beside this concomitant use, Westmed, according to the press release, also suggested that VAP can work alone or combined with other therapies, according to each patient’s profile and situation.

The VAP, which doesn’t come in contact with external chest walls, can therefore also be used in patients with chest wall injuries, burns or wounds, or with broken ribs.

Respiratory problems and diseases manifested by symptoms like a high production of mucus, infection, or secretions are common in patients who suffer from diseases like cystic fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, asthma, muscular dystrophy, pneumonia, neuromuscular respiratory impairments or diseases, etc, that usually complicate cough, expectoration, and airway clearance.

The VAP grants mobility to patients, since it is portable and battery-powered.