Q: Which one technique during whole lung lavage for pulmonary alveolar proteinosis increases the chance of recovery of the lipoproteinaceous material?


Answer: Chest percussion

After the desired amount of saline (usually 1 to 1.5 Litre) is flowed in, chest percussion for about  5 minutes, increases the recovery of the lipoproteinaceous material. Usually, it takes about 10 to 15 lavages for each lung.


Reference:

Hammon WE, McCaffree DR, Cucchiara AJ. A comparison of manual to mechanical chest percussion for clearance of alveolar material in patients with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (phospholipidosis). Chest 1993; 103:1409.