High Flow Nasal Cannula During Pulmonary Rehabilitation
High Flow Nasal Cannula During Pulmonary Rehabilitation
The primary purpose of this study is to compare and assess the immediate and long-term
 effects on pulmonary rehabilitation training with the usage of HFNC or conventional oxygen
 therapy device.

 The hypotheses was, with high flow nasal cannula usage while exercising, the physiological
 outcome measurements would be better than conventional oxygen therapy device. Also, the usage
 of HFNC can immediately increase patient's exercising endurance and decrease dyspnea caused
 by exercising.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation is one of the most recommended methods to improve the muscle
 function of COPD patients. By exercise training, even patients with severe COPD can increase
 muscle strength, improve skeletal muscle function and enhance exercise endurance. Due to
 improvements in exercise endurance, when exercising at a higher intensity, ventilation
 support and dynamic hyperinflation would slightly decrease which leads to less dyspnea during
 exercise. Continuously exercising can also increase the motivation to exercise, reduce mood
 irritability and psychological burden caused by symptoms. By exercising, patient's health
 status can be both improved physically and mentally.

 High Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC) is a non-invasive ventilatory device that provides stable
 oxygen concentration, temperature (37℃) and humidity (Relative Humidity: 100%). Humidity
 provided by the HFNC reduces irritation caused by the high flow, which leads to the increase
 of user's tolerance with the device. With the half-closed system formed by a nasal prong,
 when the high flow enters the upper airway, continue positive airway pressure would be
 formed.

 Subjects enrolled into this study are required to join a 6-week pulmonary rehabilitation
 program. Before starting the program, subjects were randomly assigned to high flow nasal
 cannula group and conventional oxygen therapy group. When exercising, the nasal cannula group
 would receive an oxygen flow of 3 - 5L to maintain SpO2>90% and the HFNC group with high flow
 setting of 45-50Lpm along with oxygen flow of 3-5L also to maintain SpO2>90%. When joining
 the pulmonary rehabilitation program, patients are required to exercise for approximately 45
 minutes per session. When exercising, changes in the degree of dyspnea, quadriceps blood flow
 and hemodynamics are assessed. After 6-week of the exercise training, all the parameters will
 again be assessed and compared to the primary data that was collected from the beginning of
 the program.
Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Age > 55 years

 -  COPD patients with confirmed pulmonary function test results of FEV1<70%

 -  Regular follow-up at the pulmonary medicine clinic

 -  Stable condition without acute exacerbation

 -  No pulmonary rehabilitation training within a year

 -  None oxygen usage at home

 -  No smoking history or quit smoking

 -  Inform consent signed

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Fever (Body Temperature >37.5°C)

 -  Acute infection symptoms

 -  Unstable cardiovascular status (Eg: Blood pressure >150/100 mmHg after medication
 usage, angina pectoris, or abnormal ECG)

 -  Activity restrictions due to orthopedic or neuromuscular disease