title: High-flow nasal cannula therapy for adult patients.
abstract: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) oxygen therapy has several physiological advantages over traditional oxygen therapy devices, including decreased nasopharyngeal resistance, washing out of the nasopharyngeal dead space, generation of positive pressure in the pharynx, increasing alveolar recruitment in the lungs, humidification of the airways, increased fraction of inspired oxygen and improved mucociliary clearance. Recently, the use of HFNC in treating adult critical illness patients has significantly increased, and it is now being used in many patients with a range of different disease conditions. However, there are no established guidelines to direct the safe and effective use of HFNC for these patients. This review article summarizes the available published literature on the positive physiological effects, mechanisms of action, and the clinical applications of HFNC, compared with traditional oxygen therapy devices. The available literature suggests that HFNC oxygen therapy is an effective modality for the early treatment of critically adult patients.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Medical School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Medical School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Medical School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Konghan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Critical Care Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Medical School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Jiancang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: 2 Department of Emergency Medicine, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Medical School of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000072601:Cannula; D016638:Critical Illness; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D009079:Mucociliary Clearance / Q000187:drug effects; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D010100:Oxygen / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010102:Oxygen Inhalation Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen
keywords: Oxygen therapy; nasal cannula; positive airway pressure; respiratory failure