Table 3.
Effects of P&PD on sputum production, effects of percussion and postural drainage (P&PD) on oxygen consumption (VO2), and number of patient turns during the four 6-h study periods
| Manual turning + | Continuous rotation + | |||
| Variable | Manual turning | P&PD | Continuous rotation | P&PD |
| Sputum volume (ml) | 13 ± 7 | 15 ± 5 | 23 ± 9* | 25 ± 9* |
| Sputum volume, high production (ml) | 18 ± 8 | 27 ± 13† | 26 ± 14 | 30 ± 11‡ |
| Change in VO2 during P&PD (%) | NA | [+] 22 ± 8† | NA | [+] 7 ± 4 |
| Turns per 6 h | 2.5 ± 0.4 | 3.0 ± 0.2 | 41 ± 8 | 43 ± 10 |
Sputum volume is the total volume for each 6-h period; high production refers to patients with a sputum production of more than 40 ml/day. NA, not applicable. Change in VO2 is the percentage change from previous period without P&PD. *, P < 0.05 versus manual turning periods. †, P < 0.001 versus manual turning periods. ‡, P < 0.05 versus times without P&PD.