Please brainstorm with me -- O2 level question

KJKK8437 · #1 08-09-2008, 03:40 AM

Why might a sleeping child breath better (i.e. with higher O2 leves) through an HME than through a humidified mist collar? (Assume all equipment is working properly.)

cariaad · #2 08-09-2008, 07:51 AM

Too much moisture from the mist collar? No discomfort from the HME? Just thoughts...Deb

hcs_mom · #3 08-09-2008, 07:57 AM

Karin,

I know this has come up before (I think I might have even asked too!), so if you've got the time, maybe search and see what the thoughts were then. We experienced the same thing with Hannah. The conclusion we came to was that the HME provides a little back pressure (PEEP). When Hannah was really little, the minute you put her on the mist collar her sats would bomb, we'd have to crank the O2 and then wean it back as she adjusted to not having that support from the HME.

Jennie

twintotwin · #4 08-09-2008, 07:58 AM

It's pure O2, the moisture slows down the stream. If you turn off your PSI converter and give straight O2 through the collar it will be much higher.

babyhugger · #5 08-09-2008, 08:36 AM

Tristan did the same thing. I think it's the PEEP thing too. Even after he was off O2 it was a problem. His secretions were fine with the HME, so our doc was alright with no humidification at night.

Mom2TwinsPlus1 · #6 08-09-2008, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twintotwin

It's pure O2, the moisture slows down the stream. If you turn off your PSI converter and give straight O2 through the collar it will be much higher.

That is what we were told by several doctors and RT's too. Emma got too gunky on an HME but her sats were higher, we were mist collaring almost all the time but we would have to turn the oxygen way up when she was on the mist collar

They said it bascially "diluted" the amount of oxygen she was getting becasue moistures slows down the stream

Ola · #7 08-09-2008, 11:09 AM

We also noticed that Michael breathed better when he slept with a HME that a mist collar. While the O2 levels were not an issue, he felt much better in the morning - woke up less dry and did not have the secretions "explosion", which he always had in the morning when he slept with his mist collar. We tried to adjust the mist levels but it was never as good as HME.
Funny, but we could only do this when we were alone with him, the night nurses insisted on the collar (it was in the initial orders).

JWorthington · #8 08-09-2008, 11:21 AM

Sam has always been fine with just a hme at night, he's only had the mist collar when really sick and junky at the hospital. We don't have humidity at home.

Julie x

KJKK8437 · #9 08-09-2008, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twintotwin

It's pure O2, the moisture slows down the stream. If you turn off your PSI converter and give straight O2 through the collar it will be much higher.

No oxygen in the house -- this is all room air stuff.

scm · #10 08-09-2008, 12:25 PM

The flow of air through the mist collar might make it a little more work to breathe, Vs. the HME which just humidifies the air he is breathing in.