The positive impact of wearing a Heat and Moisture Exchanger (HME)

Benefits of using a Heat and Moisture Exchanger (HME)
How is the lung health affected if you inhale through a tracheostoma instead of your nose? Let's remove the heat and moisture exchanger, the HME and travel into the airways.
We have millions of tiny hairs called cilia that sweep back and forth transporting mucus away from the airways. The mucus traps the dust and germs in the air that we breathe in. The cilia sweep back and forth about 10 times per second.
At the microscopic level, we can see how without the use of an HME the unconditioned air is affecting the airways. The dry air is causing the cilia to move slower and mucus is building up.
The drier the inhaled air the lower the activity of the cilia. At a relative humidity of about 35% they come to a complete standstill and more thick mucus builds up.
Now let’s see what happens when an HME system is used. Now the inhaled air is moisturized thanks to the HME. The cilia resume their activity and the situation normalizes.
You might experience increased coughing and mucus production during the first period while the lungs are clearing the built up mucus. The use of an HME will most likely have a significant impact on your daily life. Other users report less coughing, less mucus production - resulting in less stoma cleaning and better sleeping.
To fully benefit, you need to use the HME day and night.6 Remember it's your new nose.
References
1. Williams R, Rankin N, Smith T, Galler D, Seakins P. Relationship between the humidity and temperature of inspired gas and the function of the airway mucosa. Crit Care Med. 1996;24(11):1920-9.
2. Williams R, Rankin N, Smith T, Galler D, Seakins P. Relationship between the humidity and temperature of inspired gas and the function of the airway mucosa. Crit Care Med. 1996;24(11):1920-9.
3. Mercke U, Toremalm NG. Air humidity and mucociliary activity. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol. 1976;85(1 Pt 1):32-7.
4. van den Boer C, Muller SH, van dN, V, Olmos RA, Minni A, Parrilla C, et al. Effects of heat and moisture exchangers on tracheal mucociliary clearance in laryngectomized patients: a multi-center case-control study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2015;272(11):3439-50.
5. Parrilla C, Minni A, Bogaardt H, Macri GF, Battista M, Roukos R, et al. Pulmonary Rehabilitation After Total Laryngectomy: A Multicenter Time-Series Clinical Trial Evaluating the Provox XtraHME in HME-Naive Patients. The Annals of otology, rhinology, and laryngology. 2015;124(9):706-13.
6. Bien S, Okla S, van As-Brooks CJ, Ackerstaff AH. The effect of a Heat and Moisture Exchanger (Provox HME) on pulmonary protection after total laryngectomy: a randomized controlled study. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2010;267(3):429-35.