Introduction: Over the last decade, high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy has become an increasingly important and popular mode of noninvasive respiratory support. HFNC facilitates delivery of humidified and heated oxygen at a high flow rate and generates positive airway pressure.
Methods: We present five cases of children with OSA without adenotonsillar hypertrophy who were treated with HFNC.
Results: We demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in apnea-hypopnea index and nadir oxygen saturation in this small cohort.
Conclusion: We present our successful experience of treating severe OSA with HFNC in the home setting. Further randomized controlled trials are needed to determine whether HFNC could be considered as an established alternative for CPAP in OSA in children.
Keywords: high-flow therapy; home care; obstructive sleep apnea; pediatrics.
© 2015 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.