Conclusion

The Provox FreeHands HME is a novel automatic speaking valve, which combines a heat and moisture exchanger as its indispensable core with a sophisticated multimagnet valve system for more comfortable voicing, cough relief and physical exertion. These features probably will enable more patients to benefit from handsfree speech and in the same time improve their compromised pulmonary status. Nevertheless, maintaining a perfect airtight seal is still the most important aspect of successful handsfree speech, which indicates, as described above, that along with the other aspects of patient instruction, this issue should get the highest possible attention. But if successful one could say: ‘Handsfree speech is the cherry on the rehabilitation pie.’