Background: The administration of acoustic vibration and oscillating expiratory pressure with a novel device has been shown in a prior uncontrolled study to improve nasal congestion and air flow. These interventions are hypothesized to release nasal nitric oxide, a molecule with known antiviral properties. This study investigated if use of this device reduced the incidence of viral upper respiratory infections (URI) and the severity and duration of nasal congestion.
Methods: Community dwelling adults were randomized to receive an active or a sham device (2:1). Subjects used the assigned device twice daily beginning at the start of the fall URI season. A validated metric of viral URI symptoms, Total Symptoms Score (TSS), was assessed each day for 8 weeks. Nasal congestion, an element of the TSS, was measured with a 4-point Likert scale. A viral URI was defined as a TSS ≥ 14 with nasal discharge for at least 3 consecutive days.
Results: Fifty-two subjects (mean age 46.8 years, range 20-69 years, 65.4% female) were enrolled. No subject in either the active or sham group developed symptoms meeting the study definition of a viral URI. However, a statistically significant difference in nasal congestion score was seen between the active and sham groups (mean rank 23.96 vs. 34.12, U = 352.5, z = 2.094, p = 0.036). Those using the active device also had more days with no nasal congestion (57.2% vs 33.5%, mean rank 29.08 vs. 18.77, U = 153, z = -2.129, p = 0.033).
Conclusion: No conclusion can be drawn from this data regarding the ability of acoustic vibration and oscillating expiratory pressure to reduce the incidence of viral URI. However, regular use of the active device improved nasal congestion compared to sham.