Getting a vest for the First Time

amber682 · Nov 14, 2011

I have 2 kids with CF, one has The Vest from Hillrom, one has the Respirtech Incourage. Customer service has been great with both companies. I can set them both to do the same things like ramping up, ramping down, pausing for coughs or huffs, etc. They both came with a great traveling case. Both have a washable vest.
I like the Hillrom better becausethe machineis shorter, so it takes up a little less space. It is also a lot quieter. But the Respirtech has these great clamps on the hoses so they don't pop off if your kid wriggles away, and theVest does not. They don't pop off if DD is just sitting quietly, but she is 2 and sometimes throws a tantrum or tries to walk away, and the hoses will pop off. 
In my opinion, the Vest by Hillrom is better, but I wish it has the hose clmaps that the Respirtch does <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

JennyCoulon · Nov 21, 2011

We have the Vest from Hillrom. We had a 104 model for our oldest until just recently it started having problem so they replaced it with a brand new 105 model which is the one our 6 year old son has. I love the 105 model b/c you can program it so you don't have to change the settings and watch the time. Myoldest would forget to change the settings when he had the 104 so we were glad to get the new 105. Keep in mind I know with at least The Vest with Hillrom there is a lifetime guarantee. Make sure you check this out on all of them especially when they are such expensive machines.

JennyCoulon · Nov 21, 2011

We have the Vest from Hillrom. We had a 104 model for our oldest until just recently it started having problem so they replaced it with a brand new 105 model which is the one our 6 year old son has. I love the 105 model b/c you can program it so you don't have to change the settings and watch the time. Myoldest would forget to change the settings when he had the 104 so we were glad to get the new 105. Keep in mind I know with at least The Vest with Hillrom there is a lifetime guarantee. Make sure you check this out on all of them especially when they are such expensive machines.

JennyCoulon · Nov 21, 2011

We have the Vest from Hillrom. We had a 104 model for our oldest until just recently it started having problem so they replaced it with a brand new 105 model which is the one our 6 year old son has. I love the 105 model b/c you can program it so you don't have to change the settings and watch the time. Myoldest would forget to change the settings when he had the 104 so we were glad to get the new 105. Keep in mind I know with at least The Vest with Hillrom there is a lifetime guarantee. Make sure you check this out on all of them especially when they are such expensive machines.

musclemania70 · Nov 22, 2011

I have the InCourage system. i used to have the Hill rom vest. I like this one better because #1 it has settings preset which allow it to continue on the full treatment without me having to restart the system every 10 mins or so. I can press the pause button if I need to.
#2 the tubes latch on to the vest and never pop off which can be very annoying.

musclemania70 · Nov 22, 2011

I have the InCourage system. i used to have the Hill rom vest. I like this one better because #1 it has settings preset which allow it to continue on the full treatment without me having to restart the system every 10 mins or so. I can press the pause button if I need to.
#2 the tubes latch on to the vest and never pop off which can be very annoying.

musclemania70 · Nov 22, 2011

I have the InCourage system. i used to have the Hill rom vest. I like this one better because #1 it has settings preset which allow it to continue on the full treatment without me having to restart the system every 10 mins or so. I can press the pause button if I need to.
#2 the tubes latch on to the vest and never pop off which can be very annoying.

SARAHSARAH253 · Nov 23, 2011

My son has the Incourage system, and we love it!! We tested both the Hillrom & Incouage. I like that the Incourage hoses locked nicely, and the size of the machine. My son started the vest at 2 years old. Just before I had our 2nd baby. It has awesome. We use the QuickStart button (30 min) and turn up or down pressure. The machine is set to sto every 5 min. But the vest comes with instruction to override, and have it run the entire 30 min. I understand what the breaks 5 min are for. But at this time my lil man doesn't have a cough, and doesn't understand huffing.

I also suggest finding a cute-wooden chest online that matches your living room. My husband drilled a hole in the back of ours for the power cord. Now the vest has a permanent home. (Plus some prottection from the toddlers in the family). Just a suggestion<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0">

SARAHSARAH253 · Nov 23, 2011

My son has the Incourage system, and we love it!! We tested both the Hillrom & Incouage. I like that the Incourage hoses locked nicely, and the size of the machine. My son started the vest at 2 years old. Just before I had our 2nd baby. It has awesome. We use the QuickStart button (30 min) and turn up or down pressure. The machine is set to sto every 5 min. But the vest comes with instruction to override, and have it run the entire 30 min. I understand what the breaks 5 min are for. But at this time my lil man doesn't have a cough, and doesn't understand huffing.

I also suggest finding a cute-wooden chest online that matches your living room. My husband drilled a hole in the back of ours for the power cord. Now the vest has a permanent home. (Plus some prottection from the toddlers in the family). Just a suggestion<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0">

SARAHSARAH253 · Nov 23, 2011

My son has the Incourage system, and we love it!! We tested both the Hillrom & Incouage. I like that the Incourage hoses locked nicely, and the size of the machine. My son started the vest at 2 years old. Just before I had our 2nd baby. It has awesome. We use the QuickStart button (30 min) and turn up or down pressure. The machine is set to sto every 5 min. But the vest comes with instruction to override, and have it run the entire 30 min. I understand what the breaks 5 min are for. But at this time my lil man doesn't have a cough, and doesn't understand huffing.

I also suggest finding a cute-wooden chest online that matches your living room. My husband drilled a hole in the back of ours for the power cord. Now the vest has a permanent home. (Plus some prottection from the toddlers in the family). Just a suggestion<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0">

LisaGreene · Nov 28, 2011

We have two systems.We had the Hill Rom "Vest" for a very long time, both kids shared it. Then it was time to get another one and my daughter tried them all and chose the SmartVest for it's comfort. She did not like the puffiness in the chest area of the Vest and was thinking ahead for when she develops "up there". We are very happy with bothand the customer service of both companies has been amazing when we need anything. I think it's a personal preference- they all work about the same medically, I believe. I would suggest trying them all out and getting your child to help in deciding even at this young age. This helps them buy in to the process.

Good luck with your decision!

LisaGreene · Nov 28, 2011

We have two systems.We had the Hill Rom "Vest" for a very long time, both kids shared it. Then it was time to get another one and my daughter tried them all and chose the SmartVest for it's comfort. She did not like the puffiness in the chest area of the Vest and was thinking ahead for when she develops "up there". We are very happy with bothand the customer service of both companies has been amazing when we need anything. I think it's a personal preference- they all work about the same medically, I believe. I would suggest trying them all out and getting your child to help in deciding even at this young age. This helps them buy in to the process.

Good luck with your decision!

LisaGreene · Nov 28, 2011

We have two systems.We had the Hill Rom "Vest" for a very long time, both kids shared it. Then it was time to get another one and my daughter tried them all and chose the SmartVest for it's comfort. She did not like the puffiness in the chest area of the Vest and was thinking ahead for when she develops "up there". We are very happy with bothand the customer service of both companies has been amazing when we need anything. I think it's a personal preference- they all work about the same medically, I believe. I would suggest trying them all out and getting your child to help in deciding even at this young age. This helps them buy in to the process.

Good luck with your decision!

juls · Nov 29, 2011

We have two children with CF, and two different vests: RespirTech Incourage and Hillrom Vest. The RespirTech is far superior. By trade I'm an engineer, and have spent
hours evaluating both systems. I'll
review all the Respirtech features not found in any other vest system. The Respirtech is better made from the pump
to the hoses. With small children, the
RespirTech latches on the hoses are a must.
The hoses are reinforced, unlike other vests, limiting the pressure
loss. Most importantly, the RespirTech air
compression waveform is triangular, versus a sine wave found in other
vests. The sharper edge of the triangle
wave has been proven to break up mucus better than the less effective sine
wave. A blinded, randomized trial has
shown the RespirTech triangle wave to produce 10% greater cough
transportability of sputum when compared to a sine wave device. The study can be found here in a well respected peer reviewed medical journal: <a href="http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/132/4/1227.full.pdf">http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/132/4/1227.full.pdf</a> The benefit of the triangle wave in the Respirtech is
amazingly in conjunction with better comfort due to the open venting design of
the donned vest. The open venting allows
the patient to take deep breaths without being constricted. I've tried all 3 major vest company's
systems, and the RespirTech was the only vest I didn't feel constricted. The inCourage system was the only one
allowing a deep, unrestricted breath, where the others were somewhat
suffocating. The ability to take a deep
breath or breathe normally is very important in high frequency chest
compression (HFCC) therapy. With the
lungs fully filled, followed by the chest compression, allows better mucus
clearance. We currently rotate the kids between the two systems to
allow both kids to benefit from the RespirTech advantages. If I were to do it over again, I would not
hestitate to purchase 2 RespirTech systems.
However, any HFCC is better than no therapy, and if you have the
opportunity, I strongly encourage the inCourage system! Here's a recent video of our kids using both
systems: <a href="http://vimeo.com/32697899" title="http://vimeo.com/32697899" target="">http://vimeo.com/32697899</a> Eric<o<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif" border="0">></o<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif" border="0">>

juls · Nov 29, 2011

We have two children with CF, and two different vests: RespirTech Incourage and Hillrom Vest. The RespirTech is far superior. By trade I'm an engineer, and have spent
hours evaluating both systems. I'll
review all the Respirtech features not found in any other vest system. The Respirtech is better made from the pump
to the hoses. With small children, the
RespirTech latches on the hoses are a must.
The hoses are reinforced, unlike other vests, limiting the pressure
loss. Most importantly, the RespirTech air
compression waveform is triangular, versus a sine wave found in other
vests. The sharper edge of the triangle
wave has been proven to break up mucus better than the less effective sine
wave. A blinded, randomized trial has
shown the RespirTech triangle wave to produce 10% greater cough
transportability of sputum when compared to a sine wave device. The study can be found here in a well respected peer reviewed medical journal: <a href="http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/132/4/1227.full.pdf">http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/132/4/1227.full.pdf</a> The benefit of the triangle wave in the Respirtech is
amazingly in conjunction with better comfort due to the open venting design of
the donned vest. The open venting allows
the patient to take deep breaths without being constricted. I've tried all 3 major vest company's
systems, and the RespirTech was the only vest I didn't feel constricted. The inCourage system was the only one
allowing a deep, unrestricted breath, where the others were somewhat
suffocating. The ability to take a deep
breath or breathe normally is very important in high frequency chest
compression (HFCC) therapy. With the
lungs fully filled, followed by the chest compression, allows better mucus
clearance. We currently rotate the kids between the two systems to
allow both kids to benefit from the RespirTech advantages. If I were to do it over again, I would not
hestitate to purchase 2 RespirTech systems.
However, any HFCC is better than no therapy, and if you have the
opportunity, I strongly encourage the inCourage system! Here's a recent video of our kids using both
systems: <a href="http://vimeo.com/32697899" title="http://vimeo.com/32697899" target="">http://vimeo.com/32697899</a> Eric<o<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif" border="0">></o<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif" border="0">>

juls · Nov 29, 2011

We have two children with CF, and two different vests: RespirTech Incourage and Hillrom Vest. The RespirTech is far superior. By trade I'm an engineer, and have spent
hours evaluating both systems. I'll
review all the Respirtech features not found in any other vest system. The Respirtech is better made from the pump
to the hoses. With small children, the
RespirTech latches on the hoses are a must.
The hoses are reinforced, unlike other vests, limiting the pressure
loss. Most importantly, the RespirTech air
compression waveform is triangular, versus a sine wave found in other
vests. The sharper edge of the triangle
wave has been proven to break up mucus better than the less effective sine
wave. A blinded, randomized trial has
shown the RespirTech triangle wave to produce 10% greater cough
transportability of sputum when compared to a sine wave device. The study can be found here in a well respected peer reviewed medical journal: <a href="http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/132/4/1227.full.pdf">http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/132/4/1227.full.pdf</a> The benefit of the triangle wave in the Respirtech is
amazingly in conjunction with better comfort due to the open venting design of
the donned vest. The open venting allows
the patient to take deep breaths without being constricted. I've tried all 3 major vest company's
systems, and the RespirTech was the only vest I didn't feel constricted. The inCourage system was the only one
allowing a deep, unrestricted breath, where the others were somewhat
suffocating. The ability to take a deep
breath or breathe normally is very important in high frequency chest
compression (HFCC) therapy. With the
lungs fully filled, followed by the chest compression, allows better mucus
clearance. We currently rotate the kids between the two systems to
allow both kids to benefit from the RespirTech advantages. If I were to do it over again, I would not
hestitate to purchase 2 RespirTech systems.
However, any HFCC is better than no therapy, and if you have the
opportunity, I strongly encourage the inCourage system! Here's a recent video of our kids using both
systems: <a href="http://vimeo.com/32697899" title="http://vimeo.com/32697899" target="">http://vimeo.com/32697899</a> Eric<o<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif" border="0">></o<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif" border="0">>

Plonit · Nov 29, 2011

We also have the Hill Rom for our 5 yr. old son who has been using it since age 2.5. Very happy with it. Not sure about the other brands but Hill Rom replaces any part at any time free of charge as well as upgrades the vest size as you need...for life.

Plonit · Nov 29, 2011

We also have the Hill Rom for our 5 yr. old son who has been using it since age 2.5. Very happy with it. Not sure about the other brands but Hill Rom replaces any part at any time free of charge as well as upgrades the vest size as you need...for life.

Plonit · Nov 29, 2011

We also have the Hill Rom for our 5 yr. old son who has been using it since age 2.5. Very happy with it. Not sure about the other brands but Hill Rom replaces any part at any time free of charge as well as upgrades the vest size as you need...for life.

Getting a vest for the First Time

amber682

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JennyCoulon

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JennyCoulon

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JennyCoulon

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musclemania70

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musclemania70

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musclemania70

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SARAHSARAH253

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LisaGreene

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juls

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Plonit

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