Abstract
The human nose and upper respiratory tract have an exceptional ability to warm and humidify inspiratory gas before reaching the alveoli. Continued oxygen therapy without heating and humidification causes dryness and inflammation of the airway mucosa. This leads to impaired ciliary motility, impaired sputum excretion, and pneumonia due to the increased viscosity of secretions.
In the worst cases, fatal complications, such as airway obstruction, may also occur. Thus, proper heating and humidification are essential for safe respiratory management.
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Matsuoka, Y., Kurihara, K., Nishiyama, Y., Sakai, T. (2023). Humidification During Conventional Oxygen Therapy: Physiology. In: Esquinas, A.M. (eds) Humidification in the Intensive Care Unit. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23953-3_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23953-3_4
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