HYDRATION, HUMIDIFICATION and NEBULISATION
AARC Clinical Practice Guideline: HUMIDIFICATION DURING MECHANICAL VENTILATION (1992) Respir Care, 8, 37, 887–890
www.rcjournal.com/cpgs/hdmvcpg.html

AARC Clinical Practice Guideline: BLAND AEROSOL ADMINISTRATION (2003). Respir Care; 48, 529-33
www.rcjournal.com/cpgs/05.03.0529.html
• US guidelines on saline nebulisers

AARC Clinical Practice Guideline: DIRECTED COUGH (1993). Respir Care, 38, 5, 495–9
www.rcjournal.com/cpgs/dccpg.html
• similar to ACBT


Anil AB, Anil M, Saglam AB (2010) High volume normal saline alone is as effective as nebulized salbutamol-normal saline, epinephrine-normal saline, and 3% saline in mild bronchiolitis. Pediatr Pulmonol, 45, 1, 41-47

Blower AC (1997) Is thirst associated with disability in inpatients? J Human Nutr Dietitics. 10, 289-93
www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-277X.1997.00061.x
• recommended daily fluid intake is 1.5
• less than 1/3 of in-patients are able to drink enough, mostly because they can't reach their drink

Botman MJ (1987) Contamination of small-volume medication nebulisers. J Hosp Inf, 10, 204-8
www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WJP-4CDHPB5-FY&_user=10&_handle=V-WA-A-W-WU-MsSAYZA-UUA-U-AAWBYYVYBU-AAWAVZCZBU-WWCEEYBZZ-WU-U&_fmt=summary&_coverDate=09%2F30%2F1987&_rdoc=14&_orig=browse&_srch=%23toc%236884%231987%23999899997%23501864!&_cdi=6884&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=3491a856fa40521e1f4bb3dbf43d956b
• one third of hospital nebs found to be contaminated

Branson RD (1999) Humidification for patients with artificial airways. Respir Care, 44, 630-41
www.rcjournal.com/contents/06.99/06.99.0630.asp
• humidifiers and heat-moisture exchangers

Branson RD et al (1999) Comparision of heated humidification with a new active hygroscopic HME in mechanically ventilated patients. Respir.Care, 44, 912-17.
www.rcjournal.com/contents/08.99/08.99.0912.asp
• new HME is as effective as heated humidifier, but adds dead space

Branson RD (2009) Conditioning inspired gases: the search for relevant physiologic end points. Respir Care, 54, 4, 450-2
www.rcjournal.com/contents/04.09/04.09.0450.pdf
• HME is associated with risk of ETT obstruction 4 x that of heated humidifier.
• choice of humidifier should be based on gas exchange, not moisture output.

Cobben NAM et al (1996) Outbreak of severe Pseudomonas aeruginosa respiratory infections due to contaminated nebulizers. J Hosp Inf, 33, 63-70
www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6WJP-4C707TR-52&_coverDate=05%2F31%2F1996&_alid=295414472&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_qd=1&_cdi=6884&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=8af042829b11b457a00a6e438286da11
• Pseudomonas isolated in 4 of 22 nebulisers

Conway J, Fleming JS, Perring S et al (1992) Humidification as an adjunct to chest physiotherapy. Respir Med, 86, 109-14

Craven DE, Lichtenberg DA, Goularte TA (1984) Contaminated medication nebulizers in mechanical ventilator circuits. Am J Med, 77, 834-8
www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TDC-4BYSNXF-9H&_user=10&_handle=V-WA-A-W-VB-MsSAYZA-UUA-U-AAWBYBYEUY-AAWAVAEDUY-WWVWVACBC-VB-U&_fmt=summary&_coverDate=11%2F30%2F1984&_rdoc=11&_orig=browse&_srch=%23toc%235195%231984%23999229994%23487823!&_cdi=5195&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=655772a6226ca294d44a9a0cffdda148
• bacterial aerosol produced by 71% of in-line medication nebulisers

Chiumello D (2008) Effect of a heated humidifier during continuous positive airway pressure delivered by a helmet. Crit Care, 12: R55
ccforum.com/content/12/2/R55
• humidification is required with a helmet interface

Gallon AM (1996) Evaluation of nebulised acetylcysteine and normal saline in the treatment of sputum retention following thoracotomy. Thorax, 51, 429-32
thorax.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/abstract/51/4/429
• nebulised acetylcysteine reduces sputum viscosity, making expectoration easier and improving oxygenation
• nebulised normal saline has no effect.

Hamill RJ (1995) An outbreak of Burkholderia (formerly Pseudomonas) cepacia respiratory tract colonization and infection associated with nebulized albuterol therapy. Ann Intern Med, 122, 762-6
• ‘epidemics’ of pneumonia caused by contamination of in-line ventilator nebulisers

Jones PD (1985) Microbial contamination of domiciliary nebuliser equipment. Austr N Z J Med, 15, 585-9
• one-third of domiciliary nebs contaminated

Joynt GM (1994) The use of heat and moisture exchangers in critically ill patients. Care Crit Ill, 10, 271-4
• includes physiology of humidification

Khan SY, O’Driscoll BR (2004) Is nebulized saline a placebo in COPD? BMC Pulm Med, 4, 9
www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2466/4/9#B3
• saline nebs show some subjective benefit, but references are misquoted

Lane DJ (1991) Chronic persistent asthma. Respir Med, 85, 359-63
• domiciliary nebs - bacterial contamination

Lucato JJJ (2005) Evaluation of resistance in 8 different heat-and-moisture exchangers. Resp Care, 50, 636-43
• saturation affects resistance in hydrophobic or hygroscopic/hydrophobic models, but not with hygroscopic models

Mandelberg M (2010) Hypertonic saline or high volume normal saline for viral bronchiolitis: mechanisms and rationale. Pediatr Pulmonol, 45, 1, 36-40

Pilbeam SP (2000) Mechanical Ventilation, Mosby, Missouri.
• greater risk of infection from ventilator nebulisers than with hot water humidifiers because organisms can be carried in droplets but not vapour

Rea H, McAuley S, Jayaram L (2010) The clinical utility of long-term humidification therapy in chronic airway disease. Respir Med, 104, 525-33
• patients on long-term humidification had fewer exacerbations, higher QoL scores and improved lung function than those without.

Turnbull D, Fisher PC, Mills GH et al (2005) Performance of breathing filters under wet conditions. Br J Anaesth, 94, 675-82
bja.oupjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/94/5/675
• effectiveness of HMEs varies, especially under wet conditions

Williams R, Rankin N, Smith T (1996) Relationship between the humidity and temperature of inspired gas and the function of the airway mucosa. Crit Care Med, 24, 11, 1920-9

Wills PJ, Hall RL, Chan W (1997) Sodium chloride increases the ciliary transportability of CF and bronchiectasis sputum. J Clin Invest, 99, 9-13
www.jci.org/cgi/content/abstract/99/1/9
• hypertonic saline can double mucus clearance in bronchiectasis and CF


AARC = American Association for Respiratory Care.
ACBT = active cycle of breathing techniques
HME = heat-moisture exchanger
QoL = quality of life