Cardiothoracic & vascular anaesthesia
Comparing High-Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy and Conventional Oxygen Therapy in Adult Patients Post-Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Pooled resultResult — go to the resultRelative risk 0.71 95% CI 0.55–0.93Authors' conclusion
In adult patients recovering from cardiac surgery, HFNC therapy improves oxygenation and significantly curtails the need to escalate respiratory support compared to COT. However, these physiologic and intermediate clinical benefits do not translate into reductions in mortality, reintubation rate, or hospital length of stay and may come at the cost of increased postoperative delirium.
Study context
- Population
- Adults after cardiac surgery
- Participants
- 2,473 adults · 11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs)
- Comparison
- HFNC vs conventional oxygen therapy (COT) after extubation
- Outcome
- Need for escalation of respiratory support
Methodological detailsrandom-effects model
- Random-effects model
Pooled result
As reported in the abstract
Relative risk
0.71
95% CI 0.55–0.93
P = 0.01
HFNC vs COT
RR 0.71 (95% CI 0.55–0.93); P = 0.01
Further pooled results
PaO2 and forced expiratory volume in 1 second
- Statistically significant improvement with HFNC
Intubation, overall mortality, hospital LOS, ICU LOS, postoperative AF
- No statistically significant differences between the 2 approaches
Safety
| Outcome | RR (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delirium | 3.63 (1.80–7.30) | P = 0.0003 | |
| 0.10.31310Relative risk (log scale) |
Original publication
Comparing High-Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy and Conventional Oxygen Therapy in Adult Patients Post-Cardiac Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. Published 22 September 2026. doi:10.
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