Forced air ionization of the air from the room

Additional method for the treatment of respiratory distress cystic fibrosis

Ioan Popa¹, Constantin Pascu², Zagorca Popa³, Liviu Pop¹

  1. Clinic II Paediatrics, UMF Timisoara
  2. Tehno Bionic Buzau
  3. Timisoara Cystic Fibrosis Center

The premises of the paper

  • CF respiratory distress is the main factor influencing the prognosis.
  • The establishment of a well-specified therapeutic scheme, adequate to the age and clinical condition of the patient, is for the time being the only chance to improve the prognosis of these patients.
  • Daily therapy with mucolytic substances in aerosols at home – “home therapy” – is one of the mandatory links of treatment; rH – DNA – to represent from this point of view the best option.
  • Unfortunately, in countries with low economic standards, such as Romania, accessibility to rH-DNA-sa treatment is extremely limited due to very high costs.
  • At the same time, as an adjunct in aerosol treatment, concentrated NaCl solutions and cures performed in areas rich in sodium ions (saline, sea shore) have proved beneficial.
  • Starting from the favourable effect of the NaCl treatment, Tehno Bionic Buzau, Romania imagined and built the “Salin” device for the forced air ionization of the air in the room.
  • The principle of the method: the forced passage of air between the plates with microcrystalline salt deposition, which leads to changes in the composition and quality of the air, through a phenomenon of sublimation of salt.

The purpose of the paper

The aim of the paper is the clinical confirmation of the efficiency of the therapy of patients with CF and chronic respiratory suffering, by forced air ionization of the room air.

Material and method

  • The study was performed over an interval of 6 months, on two groups of children and young people with CF from the records of the Cystic Fibrosis Center in Timisoara (fig. 1)
    • Group I: 10 patients (4 boys and 6 girls), aged between 5 and 16 years (average 10.1 years), for whom air ionization was performed (living room, bedroom)
    • Group II (control): 8 patients (3 boys and 5 girls), aged between 5 and 17 years (average 10.1 years) for whom the device operated without the introduction of salt plates.
  • The device operated on average 8-10 hours / day, at a supply voltage of 9V
  • All patients continued appropriate observation during the observation.
  • Parameters taken in the study were:
    • The general clinical condition of the patient through subjective self-assessment in the case of young people, respectively the parents’ appreciation in the case of younger children
  • Clinical examination of the respiratory system
  • FEV 1 value in older children
    • The selection criteria in both groups were (Fig. 2):
      • Patients with advanced disease (3 in group I, 2 in group II) – Fig.1:
        • Ps.ae infection. and / or Staf.aur.
        • bronchiectasis
        • FEV 1 < 50
          • Patients with average or good clinical condition (7 from group I, 6 from group II) – Fig. 3:
            • No added respiratory infection
            • FEV 1> 50-60%

Fig.1. Vârsta pacienților

Fig. 2 Starea clinica a pacientilor

Rezultate

  • In group I the following were noticed:
    • Significant improvement in clinical condition;
      • The subjective sensation of “better” noticed by patients, respectively by parents, especially in those with more advanced disease;
    • Improving objective signs of disease:
      • Intensifying of the elimination of sputum in one stage, followed by a significant reduction in its amount
    • Improvement of respiratory functional syndrome
    • Reduction of auscultation rales
    • FEV 1 improvement (fig.3)
    • Since the initiation of air-ionization therapy in the room air, none of the patients has experienced recurrences of respiratory distress, so severe as to require readmission to the hospital.
  • In group II there were no changes comparable to group I (fig.4)

Fig. 3 Lot I

Fig. 4 Lot II

Conclusions

  • Forced air ionization by sublimation of salt is an effective method of treating respiratory distress in CF
  • The method is adjuvant, does not exclude classical therapy
  • It is a natural method of therapy, adapted to the living space, so it does not involve risks.
  • It is a relatively inexpensive method of therapy.