Heliox flow is primarily used to reduce work of breathing in which condition?

Heliox flow is primarily used to reduce work of breathing in which condition?

• A. Obstructive airway disease
• B. Pulmonary edema
• C. Pneumothorax
• D. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Answer: (A)

Heliox helps when the driver of breathing difficulty is increased airway resistance from narrowed airways. Helium is much less dense than air, so when mixed with oxygen and delivered through the ventilator or via a handheld device, the gas becomes easier to move through obstructed passages. In obstructive airway disease, airflow tends to become turbulent as it hits narrowed airways, which raises the work required to breathe. The lower density of heliox reduces turbulent losses and makes it easier to generate the same ventilation with less effort, effectively decreasing the work of breathing. Pulmonary edema, pneumothorax, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia involve issues other than sheer airway resistance—fluid overload in the lungs, air leaking into the pleural space, or chronic stiff lungs with altered compliance, respectively—so heliox doesn’t address the primary problem in those conditions.

Heliox helps when the driver of breathing difficulty is increased airway resistance from narrowed airways. Helium is much less dense than air, so when mixed with oxygen and delivered through the ventilator or via a handheld device, the gas becomes easier to move through obstructed passages. In obstructive airway disease, airflow tends to become turbulent as it hits narrowed airways, which raises the work required to breathe. The lower density of heliox reduces turbulent losses and makes it easier to generate the same ventilation with less effort, effectively decreasing the work of breathing.

Pulmonary edema, pneumothorax, and bronchopulmonary dysplasia involve issues other than sheer airway resistance—fluid overload in the lungs, air leaking into the pleural space, or chronic stiff lungs with altered compliance, respectively—so heliox doesn’t address the primary problem in those conditions.