High-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy in adults

OBJECTIVE Actively heated, humidified high flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) is a new type of oxygen therapy. Because of its unique physiological effects, the clinical application is becoming more and more popular. This article is to summarize the physiological effects, clinical application and short comings of HFNC. Compared with conventional oxygen therapy, HFNC helps to improve oxygenation better, and it is more comfortable than non-invasive ventilation (NIV) in use. Proper use of HFNC may be able to reduce the use of NIV and decrease the rate of endotracheal intubation. It can be used for adults with mild to moderate hypoxia, or for patients undergoing palliative care. However, the experience of the use of HFNC in adults is limited, and there is yet no corresponding clinical guideline. Therefore, further research with a large sample is required to determine the long-term effect of this technique, and to identify the adult patient population to whom is most beneficial.