When do you give heliox therapy?

Indications. The major benefit of heliox comes from its lower density and improvement in flow dynamics and therefore, is primarily used for treatment of upper airway obstructions (intrinsic and extrinsic), croup, and post-extubation stridor.

What is the main indication for heliox therapy?

Upper airways obstruction is the most common indication for which Heliox is used. The literature supporting its use was reviewed by Smith and Buros,8 who reported that the greater the severity of the obstruction, the more dramatic the benefit from breathing Heliox.

What is heliox therapy and how does it work?

Heliox is a mixture of helium and oxygen used for inhalation. This agent is thought to improve airflow by creating gas with similar viscosity to air but with lower density, which in turn can increase ventilation and decrease work of breathing.

What mask is used in heliox therapy?

Conclusions 1. 3V+R is the ideal facemask to use for optimised heliox delivery.

How is heliox flow calculated?

When using Heliox, how would you calculate the actual Heliox flow from the observed O2 flow on the flowmeter (10 L/min)? Observed flow on flow meter (10 L/min) X factor (1.8) = 18L/min of actual Heliox flow.

What is the flow factor for 70/30 heliox?

1.6
5 The heliox correction factors are generally rounded off to 1.4 for 60:40, 1.6 for 70:30, and 1.8 for 80:20.

How do you calculate heliox flow?

What are the applications of heliox in respiratory medicine?

Due to these properties, heliox has potential applications in respiratory medicine.[1,2] Heliox gas mixtures are known to be nontoxic, noncarcinogenic, and have no lasting effects on any human organs.[3] Due to its lower density, inhalation of heliox results in significantly lower turbulence, particularly in the more distal portions of the lung.

How do you know when to stop heliox therapy?

therapy, monitor the patient for further change in symptoms, contact the patient’s nurse and/or physician, and document appropriately (according to policy 3364-136-03-06 of this manual). Note: The benefit of heliox should be immediate. If no benefit occurs within 30 minutes of the initiation of therapy, heliox therapy should be discontinued.

How do you administer heliox?

Administration of heliox is usually achieved through the use of a non-rebreathing face mask with gas flows in the range of 10 L/min. We should note that while the viscosity values for helium and oxygen are similar, the density of helium is much less than that of oxygen.

Does heliox improve ventilation during high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in pediatric patients?

Winters JW, Willing MA, Sanfilippo D. Heliox improves ventilation during high-frequency oscillatory ventilation in pediatric patients. Pediatr Crit Care Med. 2000;1:33–7.