10/09/2026
💡Clinical Insight - Flow Oscillations
When you watch an oscillatory flow waveform, it's easy to be dazzled by the amplitude — but here's the question that actually matters: did the flow cross zero?
A stronger pulse on the same side of zero changes the strength of the flow, not its direction. And secretions don't respond to how dramatic a waveform looks — they respond to the push of airflow over time. Without a true reversal across zero, that push stays pointed the same way.
The deeper point: even direction isn't the whole story. Secretion movement is a tug-of-war around zero — won not by the tallest spike, but by the side that combines enough height with enough time.
So at the bedside: find zero. Ask whether the trace crosses it. Then ask which side of zero carries the more sustained flow.
Read the full article by Leah Noaeill and Vinay Joshi in the Fall 2026 issue of Respiratory Therapy (page 65) → https://hubs.ly/Q04zsgg80