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Review
. 2023 Apr 3;12(7):2663.
doi: 10.3390/jcm12072663.

Home High-Flow Therapy in Patients with Chronic Respiratory Diseases: Physiological Rationale and Clinical Results

Maria Laura Vega Pittao  1   2 , Gioacchino Schifino  1   2 , Lara Pisani  1   2 , Stefano Nava  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Home High-Flow Therapy in Patients with Chronic Respiratory Diseases: Physiological Rationale and Clinical Results

Maria Laura Vega Pittao et al. J Clin Med. .

Abstract

High-flow therapy (HFT) is the administration of gas flows above 15 L/min. It is a non-invasive respiratory support that delivers heated (up to 38 °C), humidified (100% Relative Humidity, RH; 44 mg H2O/L Absolute Humidity, AH), oxygen-enriched air when necessary, through a nasal cannula or a tracheostomy interface. Over the last few years, the use of HFT in critically ill hypoxemic adults has increased. Although the clinical benefit of home high-flow therapy (HHFT) remains unclear, some research findings would support the use of HHFT in chronic respiratory diseases. The aim of this review is to describe the HFT physiological principles and summarize the published clinical findings. Finally, we will discuss the differences between hospital and home implementation, as well as the various devices available for HHFT application.

Keywords: COPD; HFNC; HFOT; NIRS; chronic respiratory disease; high-flow nasal cannula; high-flow oxygen therapy; non-invasive respiratory supports.

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Conflict of interest statement

SN is on the advisory board for Philips and Breas Medical and receives travel fees from Fisher and Paykel. LP is a consultant for Fisher and Paykel and receives speaker and travel fees.

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