RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Fan therapy for cough: case report and literature review
JF BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care
JO BMJ Support Palliat Care
FD British Medical Journal Publishing Group
SP bmjspcare-2020-002363
DO 10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002363
A1 Anna Elizabeth Sutherland
A1 Matthew Carey
A1 Mary Miller
YR 2020
UL http://spcare.bmj.com/content/early/2020/07/05/bmjspcare-2020-002363.abstract
AB This case report describes the care of a 59-year-old woman with metastatic small cell lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who was highly symptomatic with an intractable cough. The patient reported a subjective benefit from a table fan. The authors observed an objective improvement with a marked reduction in cough frequency when the fan was in use. A literature review was undertaken and identified one randomised controlled trial assessing the use of fan for cough. The proposed underlying mechanism of cough relief is stimulation of the trigeminal nerve, possibly by cooling. This mechanism is well described in breathlessness. It presents the possibility of a novel therapeutic approach to managing cough. Further studies of both the role of nasal receptors in cough pathophysiology and the role of fan therapy in cough, where there is no concern of an airborne infectious pathogen such as COVID-19, are warranted.