Do handheld fans relieve breathlessness in patients – and what is the evidence?
The following article was written and provided by The National Asbestos Helpline . More information is available at www.nationalasbestos.co.uk . There is plenty of anecdotal evidence from respiratory professionals and patients that a handheld fan can relieve breathlessness, but it is a physiological method that is not fully understood. A number of research studies encourage the use of fans to control breathlessness. The study, ‘ Does the use of a handheld fan improve chronic dyspnea? A randomized, controlled, crossover trial ’ (2010), recommends the technique ‘as part of a palliative management strategy for reducing breathlessness associated with advanced disease’. Fans are a potentially useful and cheap non-pharmalogical intervention. The technique seems to have no side effect and gives patients some control over their symptoms. Cancer Research UK, Macmillan and the British Lung Foundation all recommend the use of fans to help reduce breathlessness. But some hospitals are wary of prom...