Reductions in dead space ventilation with nasal high flow depend on physiological dead space volume: metabolic hood measurements during sleep in patients with COPD and controls

What is it about?

Nasal High Flow (NHF) is a method of ventilatory support in which warm and humidified air flow is delivered to patients’ nose at high rates. It can improve ventilation in patients with respiratory distress. It was already known that NHF reduces the amount of ventilation and effort to breath during the night in patients with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and controls. The mechanisms for this reduction are not clear. The present study evaluates the metabolism in patients receiving NHF to determine if the reduction in ventilation and effort observed with this technique is a result of a decrease in energy expenditure. The results obtained indicate that NHF reduces ventilation because it decreases the amount of dead space ventilation, which is considered wasted ventilation. Therefore, by improving efficiency, NHF can allow patients to ventilate less to eliminate the same amount of carbon dioxide.

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