The normal physiology of conditioning of inspired gases is altered when the patient requires an artificial airway access and an invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). The endotracheal tube (ETT) removes the natural mechanisms of filtration, humidification and warming of inspired air. Despite the noninvasive ventilation (NIMV) in the upper airways, humidification of inspired gas may not be optim...

We read with interest the paper by Chidekel et al. [1] on the effects of gas humidification with high-flow nasal cannula on cultured human airway epithelial cells. The authors used an “in vitro” method of bronchial epithelial cells culture and found increased total protein secretion and secretion of interleukins 6 and 8 after 8 hours of dry airflow compared with 69% and >90% of relative humidif...

Inadequate gas conditioning during non-invasive ventilation (NIV) can impair the anatomy and function of nasal mucosa. The resulting symptoms may have a negative effect on patients' adherence to ventilatory treatment, especially for chronic use. Several parameters, mostly technical aspects of NIV, contribute to inefficient gas conditioning. Factors affecting airway humidity during NIV include i...

BACKGROUND We were concerned about the risk of inadequate humidification during high-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV). METHODS We studied 5 humidifiers during HFPV with a lung model, at bias gas flows of 10 L/min, 30 L/min, and 50 L/min, and compared the results to those from a comparator ventilator/humidifier setup and to the minimum temperature (30 degrees C) and humidity (30 mg/L) [...

Dehumidification is the process of removing the water vapour from the air. The outside humid air consists of sensible heat load and latent heat load [1]. In conventional system the dehumidification is done by vapour compression system. The sensible heat of the air is removed by reducing the temperature of the air but the latent heat load is removed by cooling the air below dew point temperature...

STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine whether the addition of heated humidification at treatment initiation with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) would lead to better CPAP compliance and improve quality of life and subjective sleepiness in patients with sleep apnea. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTING An academic sleep center located at a Veterans Affairs hospital. PATIENTS...

All authors agree that humidification of gas delivered to patients during mechanical ventilation is essential.1 The upper airways normally provide 75% of the heat and moisture supplied to the alveoli.2 When bypassed, humidification of the gas is necessary to prevent hypothermia, inflammation of the airway epithelium, bronchospasm, atelectasis, and airway obstruction.1 There is, however, still a...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS Assessment of immediate postoperative airway humidification after total laryngectomy (TLE), comparing the use of an external humidifier (EH) with humidification through a heat and moisture exchanger (HME). STUDY DESIGN Randomized controlled trial (RCT). METHODS Fifty-three patients were randomized into the standard (control) EH (N = 26) or the experimental HME arm (N =...