(Dr. Peter Rogers, advisor)

"Hydro-Acoustic Therapy: Design, Construction and Testing"

Abstract

Current treatment for Cystic Fibrosis involves mostly manual chest physiotherapy. This therapy consists in a trained physical therapist striking the patient’s chest while laying head down on an incline. Even though other treatments exist, their effectiveness compared with manual chest physiotherapy is still controversial. The most promising therapy is High Frequency Chest Compression (HFCC). It consists in an oscillating pressure vest compressing the chest of the patient.

A possible improvement of the existing treatments would imply an increase in the excitation of the lungs. The choice of the treatment’s frequency and its amplitude are among the parameters that could be improved. To reach it, the use of underwater sound could be possible. In water, the human lungs can be modeled as an air bubble. It is hypothesized that exiting the lungs at their resonant frequency could improve the treatment. The lungs would be excited in their entirety and the frequency would be tuned more precisely.

The objective of this study is the conception, the construction and the testing of a new kind of hydro acoustic chamber that could be used as a Hydro Acoustic Therapy for Cystic Fibrosis patients.