The role of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy in patients with high cervical spinal cord injury

Objective To study the effect of high-flow nasal cannula oxygen therapy (HFNC) in reduction in re-intubation rate, length of ICU stay and improvement of respiratory function in patients with high cervical spinal cord injury. Methods Single center retrospective study was carried out in our intensive care unit from September 2016 to March 2018. Post-operative patients ready for planned extubation with high cervical spinal cord injury were included. The length of ICU stay, re-intubation rate in case of respiratory failure, respiratory rate, pulse rate, MAP, SaO2, PaO2/FiO2, and PaCO2 of patients at 6, 24 and 72 h after extubation were compared between the HFNC and conventional oxygen therapy (COT) groups. Results During the study period, 38 patients were enrolled in the study. Of them, 16 patients were assigned in the HFNC group and 22 patients in the COT group. Re-intubation rate was significantly different between the two groups (18.8% vs 27.3%, P<0.05), but the length of ICU stay had no significant difference [(15.5±3.4) days vs (16.6±5.2) days]. The respiratory rate, pulse rate, SaO2 and PaO2/FiO2 at 6 h after extubation in the HFNC group were improved markedly than those in the COT group (P<0.05); and the PaCO2 and PaO2/FiO2 at 24 and 72 h after extubation in the HFNC group had much more improvement than those in the COT group (P<0.05). Conclusions Among individuals with post-operative high cervical spinal cord injury, high-flow oxygen therapy could reduce re-intubation rate, and PaCO2 level, and improve the respiratory function, but cannot reduce the length of ICU stay. High-flow oxygen therapy may offer advantages for patients with high cervical spinal cord injury. Key words: High-flow nasal cannula; High cervical spinal cord injury; Post-operation; Extubation; retrospective study