Applying vibroacoustic lung therapy in the complex treatment of patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia

Background. Vibroacoustic lung therapy (VALT) is a hardware method of exposure used in conditions accompanied by hyperproduction of bronchial mucus and impaired evacuation from the respiratory tract. Damage to the alveolar epithelium, as well as a high risk of extensive atelectasis in pneumonia caused by COVID-19, can lead to impaired gas exchange. The proven effectiveness of VALT in a wide range of bronchopulmonary diseases allows us to consider this method as potentially promising in the treatment of COVID-19 associated pneumonia. Aim. Evaluation of the effectiveness of VALT using the BARK VibroLUNG device (manufactured by BARK Technology, Kazakhstan) in patients with COVID-19 associated pneumonia. Materials and methods. The study included 70 patients treated for COVID-19 associated pneumonia, who were divided into 2 equal groups: the main group, which used VALT along with standard therapy, and the control group, which received only conventional treatment. The analysis included clinical parameters, arterial blood PaO2, data from a general blood test, a biochemical blood test, the degree of damage to lung tissue according to computer tomography of the chest organs at the beginning of the study and after its completion, as well as the duration of hospital stay. Results. The analysis of respiratory rate (RR) dynamics showed a statistically significant decrease in the VALT group. PaO2, SpO2 in the air, and SpO2 on the background of oxygen support did not show significant dynamics. After stratification of patients by disease outcome, positive dynamics of ∆RR, ∆PaO2, ∆SpO2 in the air, ∆SpO2 on the background of oxygen support in the subgroup of surviving patients and a significant deterioration in parameters among the deceased were revealed. When assessing the prognostic significance of the dynamics of clinical and functional indicators against the background of the use of VALT in relation to patient survival, ∆PaO2, ∆VAS, ∆SpO2 had good prognostic value, as well as SpO2 on O2 had a slightly lower but statistically significant prognostic value. Conclusion. The inclusion of VALT in the complex treatment of patients with COVID-19-associated pneumonia was accompanied by a decrease in the severity of respiratory failure. A favorable outcome of the disease was associated with a marked decrease in RR and an improvement in oxygenation parameters, while a deterioration in these indicators characterized patients with an unfavorable prognosis. An improvement in gas exchange parameters and a decrease in the severity of dyspnea on the background of VALT can be considered as an early marker of the effectiveness of therapy.