Acapella® Choice

This leaflet explains about the Acapella® Choice and what to expect when you receive one from Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

The Acapella® Choice is a device used as part of a treatment to help people who have difficulty clearing sputum (phlegm) from their lungs.The equipment consists of a mouthpiece, cover, rocker assembly/platform base (counterweighted plug and magnet) and the base unit including the adjustment dial.

When you breathe out through the Acapella® Choice, air flows through a counterweighted plug which will help keep your airways wide open to get air behind sputum to help move it upwards.

The magnet directs the air through a pivoting cone generating vibrations that are transmitted to the chest wall to help loosen sputum from the sides of your airways.

Your physiotherapist will show you how to use the Acapella® Choice. This guide is a reminder for you. The Acapella® Choice should be held in a horizontal position for treatment.

1. Treatment can be carried out in sitting or any postural drainage position (where possible).
2. Relax your stomach muscles and take a few normal breaths before using the Acapella® Choice.
3. Close your lips around the mouthpiece of the Acapella® Choice, making sure there is a good seal.
4. Take a slightly bigger breath in through your nose and then blow out through the Acapella® Choice. You may feel vibrations on your chest wall.
5. Repeat eight to 10 times.
6. Following this you should put the Acapella® Choice down and do huffing and coughing to clear any sputum. You should then have a period of relaxed breathing before continuing.

This cycle should continue for 10-20 minutes or until you have cleared all your sputum.

The pressure and flow can be made harder or easier by changing the position of the frequency adjustment dial. By rotating the dial clockwise through numbers one to five the resistance gets harder.

As with all airway clearance devices it is very important that equipment is kept clean to prevent infection. There have been no reported problems with the use of the Acapella® Choice or any other airway clearance techniques.

However, if you are worried about your child's chest, especially if they become short of breath, have chest pain or are coughing up blood, it is important that you contact the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) team at GOSH without delay.

It is recommended that the Acapella® Choice is cleaned after each use and disassembled into its parts.

Detach the mouthpiece and then the cover by placing your forefinger and thumb on the three lines allocated toward the mouthpiece and gently pressing and lifting up.

Gently detach the rocker assembly from the platform base.

Wash the Acapella® Choice in warm soapy water and then rinse thoroughly with clean water and allow parts to air dry.

You should sterilise the Acapella® Choice at least once a week using a steam steriliser or putting it in a clean bowl of boiling water. Do not use a microwave steriliser.

Do not store the Acapella® Choice on a windowsill or in direct sunlight. When it is dry, you should either wrap it in a lint-free cloth, place it in the bag provided or put it in a clean plastic container with a lid and keep it in a dust-free environment.