Treatment of Pediatric Patients With High-Flow Nasal Cannula and Considerations for Oral Feeding: A Review of the Literature.
Jessica L Rice, Maureen A Lefton-Greif
PMID 36276931WHAT IT FOUND
Withholding oral feeding solely because an infant is on high-flow nasal cannula is not supported by current literature.
Speech-language pathologists should assess individual readiness cues and respiratory stability rather than delaying feeds based on the device alone.
Key findings
01The practice of withholding oral feeding solely because a child is on high-flow nasal cannula is not supported by the literature.
02Clinical opinion is divided on the safety of oral feeding for children on high-flow nasal cannula, with wide variations in practice reported.
03Data on adverse feeding-related events in children on high-flow nasal cannula are limited, and no instrumental studies have documented these events during feeding trials.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The review relies on existing literature which includes studies with varying definitions of HFNC and oral feeding outcomes. There is a lack of well-controlled prospective studies specifically examining the impact of HFNC on swallowing physiology in infants and children. Data on adverse events may be underestimated because most studies rely on clinical signs rather than instrumental assessments during feeding.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing financial or nonfinancial interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lack of evidence against feeding as proof of safety. The review states that withholding feeds is not supported, but also emphasizes that safety data are limited and adverse events may be underestimated without instrumental assessment.