Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Apr;4(2):138-42.
doi: 10.4103/2229-5151.134153.

The use of heliox in critical care

Seyed Mohammadreza Hashemian  1 , Farahnaz Fallahian  2
Affiliations

The use of heliox in critical care

Seyed Mohammadreza Hashemian et al. Int J Crit Illn Inj Sci. 2014 Apr.

Abstract

This paper reviews the medical use of helium oxygen mixture in obstructive airway disease in patients with croup, narrow endotracheal tubes (ETTs), respiratory distress syndrome, asthma, bronchiolitis, as well as patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and acute lung injury. In addition, some other indications of heliox use and some innovative methods of ventilation applied in pediatrics and adults are presented through review of the literature of current decade. Yet, to recommend heliox use seems to require more research based on clinical practice and observation through vaster and more robust investigations.

Keywords: Administration; airway obstruction; dyspnea; heliox; mechanical ventilation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Oliver BM, Farrar H, Bradley JG. Helium concentration in the earth's lower atmosphere. Geochim Cosmochima Acta. 1984;48:1759–67.
    1. Hunt T, Williams MT, Frith P, Schembri D. Heliox, dyspnoea and exercise in COPD. Eur Respir Rev. 2010;19:30–8. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Harris PD, Barnes R. The uses of helium and xenon in current clinical practice. Anaesthesia. 2008;63:284–93. - PubMed
    1. Eves ND, Ford GT. Helium-oxygen: A versatile therapy to “lighten the load” of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Respir Med COPD Update. 2007;3:87–94.
    1. Valli G, Paoletti P, Savi D, Martolini D, Palange P. Clinical use of Heliox in asthma and COPD. Monaldi Arch Chest Dis. 2007;67:159–64. - PubMed