Helmet Ventilation for Pediatric Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review

Shu-Chi Mu; Yu-Hsuan Chien; Pin-Zhen Lai; Ke-Yun Chao

doi:10.3389/fped.2022.839476

Helmet Ventilation for Pediatric Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Narrative Review

Front Pediatr. 2022 Feb 2:10:839476. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.839476. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Shu-Chi Mu^{1

2}, Yu-Hsuan Chien^{1

3}, Pin-Zhen Lai⁴, Ke-Yun Chao^{4

5}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
² School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
³ Department of Pediatrics, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Respiratory Therapy, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan.
⁵ School of Physical Therapy, Graduate Institute of Rehabilitation Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.

Abstract

The air dispersion of exhaled droplets from patients is currently considered a major route of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission, the use of non-invasive ventilation (NIV) should be more cautiously employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, helmet ventilation has been identified as the optimal treatment for acute hypoxia respiratory failure caused by COVID-19 due to its ability to deliver NIV respiratory support with high tolerability, low air leakage, and improved seal integrity. In the present review, we provide an evidence-based overview of the use of helmet ventilation in children with respiratory failure.

Keywords: continuous positive airway pressure; coronavirus disease 2019; helmet ventilation; non-invasive positive pressure ventilation; non-invasive respiratory support; pediatric; respiratory failure.

Publication types

Review