Skill
Chest Physiotherapy (CPT)
Review by category
Choose the list to review
The selected category is identified by a yellow outline and a "Selected section" label.
Contraindications
Review these conditions before proceeding and follow current orders, protocols, facility policy, and supervising-clinician direction.
- Untreated pneumothorax
- Active hemoptysis
- Unstable head/neck or suspected spinal injury
Relative contraindications
Use individualized risk-benefit assessment, added precautions, or a modified approach as authorized for the patient and setting.
- Increased intracranial pressure (>20 mmHg)
- Recent thoracic surgery or rib fractures
- Severe osteoporosis or metastatic bone disease
Sources
Supporting sources include peer-reviewed research, evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, professional standards, and foundational respiratory care references, as applicable to the skill.
- American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC). (2013). AARC clinical practice guideline: Effectiveness of nonpharmacologic airway clearance therapies in hospitalized patients. Respiratory Care, 58(12), 2187-2193. https://doi.org/10.4187/respcare.02925
- Graham, B. L., Steenbruggen, I., Miller, M. R., Barjaktarevic, I. Z., Cooper, B. G., Hall, G. L., Hallstrand, T. S., Kaminsky, D. A., McCarthy, K., McCormack, M. C., Oropez, C. E., Rosenfeld, M., Stanojevic, S., Swanney, M. P., and Thompson, B. R. (2019). Standardization of spirometry 2019 update. European Respiratory Journal, 53(2), 1801513. https://doi.org/10.1183/13993003.01513-2018