High Flow Oxygen Therapy In Respiratory Failure

Abstract High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy is one of the new treatment modalities thatreduce to need for invasive mechanical ventilation in moderate hypoxemic respiratoryfailure. High flow oxygen therapy was performed in three patients with acute bronchiolitis, one patient with severe left ventricular outflow tract obstruction and pulmonary edema and one patient with chemical pneumonia secondary to paraffin oil ingestion. The ages of the patients were between 3 months to 3 years. At the beginning oftherapy, the flow rate was generally set as 8-10 L per min (maximum: 15 L per min)and the fraction inspiratory oxygen concentration was set as 40%. At the second hourof high flow oxygen therapy heart rate and respiratory rate was decreased 20% and 27%,respectively. There was 93% improvement in SpO2/FiO2 at the second hour of therapy.Duration of treatment was 3.6 days. Conclusions:High flow oxygen therapy should safely consider in the management of moderate hypoxemic respiratory failure. The most important approach during high flow oxygen therapy is monitoring the improvement in vital signs and SpO2/FiO2ratio especially atthe first hours of treatment