High Flow Oxygen Therapy. Application in an Adult Intensive Care Unit

Introduction: The main objective of supplemental oxygen supply is to reverse hypoxemia, as well as to treat and prevent its symptoms and complications, however, it is necessary that oxygen therapy is complemented with additional strategies, since low oxygen availability to the tissues can have different etiologies, since this does not depend solely on the supplementary supply of oxygen, it also depends on ventilation, the concentration and saturation of hemoglobin and cardiac output.

Objective: To analyze the incidence of the use of high-flow oxygen therapy (HFOT) in intensive care and assess the procedure.

Methodology: A prospective observational study was carried out in which patients with moderate respiratory failure, cardiac surgeries, pneumonia with high oxygen needs admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of a private medical center in the city of Asunción during the months of January to November 2018 who received treatment with high-flow oxygen therapy.

Results: A total of 32 cases were obtained, of which 50% were men, with a mean age of 75 ± 11 years. The incidence of HFOT was 0.95%. The indication for HFOT was: 47% moderate respiratory failure or need for oxygen supply. In meeting the HFOT objectives, oxygen therapy was improved in 91.7%.

Conclusions: There is a low incidence of the use of HFOT in the unit. Although most patients have improved with oxygen therapy, intubation could not be avoided in them.