The Impact of High-Flow Nasal Oxygen Therapy on Swallowing Function and Aspiration in Patients and Healthy Adults: A Scoping Review
2024

The Impact of High-Flow Nasal Oxygen Therapy on Swallowing Function and Aspiration

Sample size: 711 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Muacevic Alexander, Adler John R, Sugishima Kan, Sakuramoto Hideaki, Oyama Yusuke, Ouchi Akira, Kaneko Kentaro, Fukunaga Takuto, Uchi Michiko, Aikawa Gen

Hypothesis

How does HFNO affect the swallowing function and is it a risk factor for aspiration pneumonia?

Conclusion

Increased flow rates of HFNO affect swallowing function, but the actual impact on patients is currently unknown.

Supporting Evidence

  • Six studies investigated the effects of flow rate on swallowing function.
  • None of the studies reported that HFNO increases the incidence of pneumonia.
  • The latency time of swallowing response decreased with increasing inspiratory flow rate.
  • Choking or coughing was observed at higher flow rates.
  • Four studies compared pneumonia incidence rates between HFNO and conventional oxygen therapy.

Takeaway

This study looked at how high-flow nasal oxygen therapy affects swallowing and if it can cause problems like choking. It found that higher flow rates can change how we swallow, but we need more research to understand the effects on patients.

Methodology

This scoping review analyzed studies from various databases to assess the effects of HFNO on swallowing function and aspiration pneumonia.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to the limited number of studies on patients and the focus on healthy adults.

Limitations

Most studies involved healthy participants, and the effects on actual patients with dysphagia remain unclear.

Participant Demographics

The review included both healthy adults aged 20-50 and patients aged 50-90.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.7759/cureus.75287

Want to read the original?

Access the complete publication on the publisher's website

View Original Publication