Int J Physiother Res 2017;5(3):2031-34. ISSN 2321-1822 2031 Original Research Article FACILITATING HUFF FOR AIRWAY CLEARANCE AND TO RELIEVE DYSPNEA IN SUBJECTS WITH COPD Deepika Burman * 1 , Sneha Ghuman 2 , Varoon Jaiswal 3 , Snehal Ghodey 4 . *1 B.P.TH student, MAEER’s Physiotherapy College, Pune, Maharashtra, India. 2 Assistant Professor, MAEER’s Physiotherapy College, Pune, Maharashtra, India. 3 Associate Professor, MAEER’s Physiotherapy College, Pune, Maharashtra, India. 4 Principal, MAEER’s Physiotherapy College, Pune, Maharashtra, India. Introduction: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is a lung disease characterised by chronic ob- struction of lung airflow that interferes with normal breathing and is not fully reversible. Secretions produced in the respiratory tract are cleared by muco-ciliary transport, cephalad airflow bias, and cough which then helps in relieving dyspnea. There is need to find an alternate cost effective, easy technique which can help clearing the secretions and relieve dyspnea. An intervention like huff training could help better in clearance of airways. Removal of secretions will also facilitate in relieving dyspnea. Forced expiration against resistance has demon- strated better sputum production and reduced the level of dyspnea. Procedure: Permission from the Institutional Ethical committee was taken before starting the study. Two groups were made, group A (Experimental group) and group B (Control group) comprising of 10 subjects each. All the subjects were explained about the study and a informed written consent was taken from them. Subjects were randomly allocated. 24 hours sputum expectoration was collected in the calibrated sputum mug & it was measured at the end of 24 hours .The level of dyspnea was measured by using VAS scale for breathlessness pre and post 24hours. Results: Lung clearance was better with therapist made huffing device and amount of sputum was statistically significant (analysed using Mann Whitney’s Test) and there was improvement in dyspnea (Level of Dyspnoea was statistically analysed using Wilcoxin’s Matched Paired Test). Conclusion: The study concludes that HUFF given through the therapist made device was more effective than the traditional HUFF in clearance of airway secretions as well as in relieving dyspnea in subjects with Acute Exacer- bation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. KEY WORDS: COPD, Therapist- made device, Amount of sputum, Level of Dyspnea , VAS scale for Breathlessness. ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION Address for correspondence: Deepika Burman, NITI Merchant Society, Bunglow No 15, Besides Vedanta Academy, Station Road, Malavali-410405, Pune, Maharashtra, India. E-Mail: deepikaburman4@gmail.com International Journal of Physiotherapy and Research, Int J Physiother Res 2017, Vol 5(3):2031-34. ISSN 2321-1822 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.16965/ijpr.2017.130 Quick Response code Access this Article online International Journal of Physiotherapy and Research ISSN 2321- 1822 www.ijmhr.org/ijpr.html DOI: 10.16965/ijpr.2017.130 Received: 08-03-2017 Peer Review: 09-03-2017 Revised: None Accepted: 03-04-2017 Published (O): 20-05-2017 Published (P): 11-06-2017 pollution, chemical fumes, or dust-also may contribute to COPD [1,2]. According to World Health Organization estimates, 65 million people have moderate to severe COPD [3]. Emphysema, chronic bronchitis & bronchial asthma are the common conditions that make up COPD [4]. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is not one single disease but an umbrella term used to describe chronic lung diseases that cause limitations in lung airflow. Long-term exposure to other lung irritants-such as air