Journal of Clinical Case Reports

Persistent Pulmonary Atelectasis in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Treated with High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation

Abstract

Giuseppe Fiorentino, Anna Annunziata and Rosa Cauteruccio

Patients with neuromuscular disease that affects the respiratory pump can experience mild to profound limitation in both ventilation and cough. They frequently present recurrent pulmonary infections, respiratory failure, hypoventilation and atelectasis. We describe the case of a 22-years-old patient with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, he was referred to our hospital with persisten fever (>38°C), dyspnea and respiratory failure. Chest CT showed parenchymal consolidation. The patient was treated with antibiotics and rehabilitation therapy, bronchial endoscopy, cough assist, but only with the use of High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation followed by mechanical in-exsufflation (MI-E) for cough assistance, we observed clinical and radiological improvement. We suggest that High Frequency Chest Wall Oscillation can be helpful for neuromuscular patient, particularly in cases of difficult clinical management hospedalizations.