The Role of High Velocity Nasal Insufflation in Prevention of Respiratory Complications in Severe Chest Trauma

• Chest trauma are associated with significant morbidity and mortality due to respiratory failure and pneumonia.
• The two main goals of therapy are pain management and pulmonary care and support. There is strong evidence for providing good analgesia to facilitate volume expansion treatment and chest physiotherapy, aiming for deep breathing and effective cough to reduce secretions and prevent the atelectasis.
• Oxygen supplementation is often included as supportive therapy added to bundles of care for patients of chest trauma with rib fractures.

High -velocity nasal insufflation (HVNI ) was first developed for neonates and has gained increasing use in adult patients for prevention and treatment of respiratory failure. High-flow humidified oxygen with flow rates from 30 to100 L/min with high fraction of inspired oxygen( FiO2) is able to be delivered. Positive end-expiratory pressure can be generated, preventing alveoli collapse. The washout of carbon dioxide (CO2)and replacement with enriched O2 purportedly decreases work of breathing and increases breathing effectiveness.

• Routine tests for chest injuries include chest X-rays and computed tomography (CT) scans. Ultrasound has the advantages of being inexpensive, readily available and being free of ionizing radiation .
• In thoracic trauma cases, ultrasonography of the lungs is valuable for evaluating various chest diseases, including chest wall haematoma and fractures, pleural cavity involvement with pleural effusion, haemothorax, and pneumothorax. The ultrasound can also assess the reduce in lung aeration by changing the lung surface and generating distinct patterns as in pulmonary contusions and compression atelectasis.