Elsevier

Respiratory Medicine

Volume 103, Issue 10, October 2009, Pages 1400-1405
Respiratory Medicine

Review
Research in high flow therapy: Mechanisms of action

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rmed.2009.04.007Get rights and content
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Summary

Recently, heater/humidifier devices that use novel methods to condition breathing gases from an external source have been introduced. The addition of sufficient warmth and high levels of humidification to breathing gas has allowed for higher flow rates from nasal cannula devices to be applied to patients (i.e., high flow therapy). This article provides a review of the proposed mechanisms behind the efficacy of high flow therapy via nasal cannula, which include washout of nasopharyngeal dead space, attenuation of the inspiratory resistance associated with the nasopharynx, improvement in conductance and pulmonary compliance, mild distending pressure and reduction in energy expenditure for gas conditioning.

Keywords

High flow nasal canula
Oxygen therapy
Humidification device
Nasal canula

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