Nasal High Flow Therapy For Symptom Management in People Receiving Palliative Care

Huang, JY; Steele, P; Dabscheck, E; Smallwood, N

Author(s): Huang, JY; Steele, P; Dabscheck, E; Smallwood, N;
Details: Publication Year 2022-02,Volume 63,Issue #2,Page e237-e245
Journal Title: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
Publication Type: Review
Abstract: For patients with chronic non-malignant lung disease, severe chronic breathlessness can significantly impact quality of life, causing significant disability, distress, social isolation, and recurrent hospital admissions. Caregivers for people with challenging symptoms, such as severe breathlessness, are also profoundly impacted. Despite increasing research focused on breathlessness over recent years, this symptom remains extremely difficult to manage, with no effective treatment that completely relieves breathlessness. A new potential treatment for relieving breathlessness in patients at home is nasal high flow (NHF) therapy. NHF therapy is a respiratory support system that delivers heated, humidified air (together with oxygen if required) with flows of up to 60 L/min. This case describes a patient with very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who received domiciliary NHF therapy (approximately 8 hours/day, flow rate of 20 L/min) over twelve months with good effect for the relief of severe chronic breathlessness. We discuss the management principles for severe chronic breathlessness, the physiological effects of NHF therapy and the evidence for long-term use in the community setting. With the support of respiratory and palliative care clinicians together, domiciliary NHF therapy has great potential for improving current symptom management approaches in people with life-limiting illnesses.
Keywords: Dyspnea; Humans; Oxygen Inhalation Therapy; *Palliative Care; *Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive; Quality of Life; Dyspnea, palliative care, nasal high flow therapy; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; chronic respiratory disease
Department(s): Palliative Care
PubMed ID: 34600084
Publisher's Version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2021.09.016
Terms of Use/Rights Notice: Refer to copyright notice on published article.

Creation Date: 2024-12-13 04:26:00

Last Modified: 2024-12-13 04:27:13