Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Mar;65(3):136-141.
doi: 10.3345/cep.2020.01403. Epub 2021 May 24.

Modified high-flow nasal cannula for children with respiratory distress

Sarocha Itdhiamornkulchai  1 , Aroonwan Preutthipan  2 , Jarin Vaewpanich  1 , Nattachai Anantasit  1
Affiliations

Modified high-flow nasal cannula for children with respiratory distress

Sarocha Itdhiamornkulchai et al. Clin Exp Pediatr. 2022 Mar.

Abstract

Background: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is a noninvasive respiratory support that provides the optimum flow of an air-oxygen mixture. Several studies demonstrated its usefulness and good safety profile for treating pediatric respiratory distress patients. However, the cost of the commercial HFNC is high; therefore, the modified high-flow nasal cannula was developed.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness, safety, and nurses' satisfaction of the modified system versus the standard commercial HFNC.

Methods: This prospective comparative study was performed in a tertiary care hospital. We recruited children aged 1 month to 5 years who developed acute respiratory distress and were admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit. Patients were assigned to 2 groups (modified vs. commercial). The effectiveness and safety assessments included vital signs, respiratory scores, intubation rate, adverse events, and nurses' satisfaction.

Results: A total of 74 patients were treated with HFNC. Thirty- nine patients were assigned to the modified group, while the remaining 35 patients were in the commercial group. Intubation rate and adverse events did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. However, the commercial group had higher nurses' satisfaction scores than the modified group.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that our low-cost modified HFNC could be a useful respiratory support option for younger children with acute respiratory distress, especially in hospital settings with financial constraints.

Keywords: High-flow nasal cannula; Noninvasive respiratory support; Respiratory distress; Respiratory failure.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Drawing of the modified high-flow nasal cannula system. (1) Oxygen and air flow meter. (2) Y-connector. (3) Endotracheal tube connector. (4) Heated humidified. (5) Heated inspiratory circuit. (6) Nasal cannula.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Flow diagram of the study patient enrollment process.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Heart rate and modified respiratory clinical scores by group. HFNC, high-flow nasal cannula.
Fig. 4.
Fig. 4.
Flow rate by group. HFNC, high-flow nasal cannula.
None
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ward JJ. High-flow oxygen administration by nasal cannula for adult and perinatal patients. Respir Care. 2013;58:98–122. - PubMed
    1. Dysart K, Miller TL, Wolfson MR, Shaffer TH. Research in high flow therapy: mechanisms of action. Respir Med. 2009;103:1400–5. - PubMed
    1. Bressan S, Balzani M, Krauss B, Pettenazzo A, Zanconato S, Baraldi E. High-flow nasal cannula oxygen for bronchiolitis in a pediatric ward: a pilot study. Eur J Pediatr. 2013;172:1649–56. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bueno Campana M, Olivares Ortiz J, Notario Munoz C, Rupérez Lucas M, Fernández Rincón A, Patiño Hernández O, et al. High flow therapy versus hypertonic saline in bronchiolitis: randomised controlled trial. Arch Dis Child. 2014;99:511–5. - PubMed
    1. Mikalsen IB, Davis P, Oymar K. High flow nasal cannula in children: a literature review. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2016;24:93. - PMC - PubMed

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources