OBJECTIVE To compare the comfort of oxygen therapy via high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) versus via conventional face mask in patients with acute respiratory failure. Acute respiratory failure was defined as blood oxygen saturation < 96% while receiving a fraction of inspired oxygen > or = 0.50 via face mask. METHODS Oxygen was first humidified with a bubble humidifier and delivered via face mas...

Patients requiring emergency airway management may be at greater risk of acute hypoxemic events because of underlying lung pathology, high metabolic demands, insufficient respiratory drive, obesity, or the inability to protect their airway against aspiration. Emergency tracheal intubation is often required before complete information needed to assess the risk of procedural hypoxia is acquired (...

Despite the absence of clinical safety data, heated, humidified high-flow nasal cannula (HHFNC) therapy is increasingly being used as an alternative to positive-pressure ventilation in pediatrics. This use of HHFNC is “off label” because the US Food and Drug Administration’s approval for these devices was only for air humidification and not as a modality to provide positive distending pressure....