title: Nasopharyngeal oxygen in adult intensive care--lower flows and increased comfort.
abstract: Nasopharyngeal oxygen therapy, the delivery of supplementary oxygen into the nasopharynx via a fine catheter placed through the nose, is a simple technique used in postoperative anaesthetic care units and paediatric intensive care, but never described in the setting of adult intensive care. In a prospective crossover design, we compared nasopharyngeal oxygen therapy with semi-rigid plastic mask (Hudson Mask) in 50 unintubated adult patients receiving supplemental oxygen. We measured oxygen flow rate to achieve cutaneous saturations 93 to 96%, and patient comfort by visual analogue score. Nasopharyngeal oxygen therapy consumed significantly less oxygen than mask administration (3.0+/-0.9 vs 6.7+/-2.1 l/min, P<0.001) and was associated with significantly higher comfort than the mask (7.5+/-1.6 cm vs 5.2+/-1.8, P<0.001).
authors.affiliation: Epworth Hospital Intensive Care Unit, Richmond, Victoria.
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Eastwood
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Reeves
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Cowie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D003422:Critical Care; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D017214:Laryngeal Masks; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009305:Nasopharynx; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome