Tutorial presented by Dr Simon Barry, Respiratory Consultant and National Respiratory Clinical Lead.

Patients with COVID-19 who end up on a COVID-19 Ward generally present with oxygenation failure, and therefore oxygen therapy is important in the supportive care of these patients. A quick reference guide for administering oxygen to patients with COVID-19 has been has been developed to guide safe and effective use of oxygen delivery devices during the COVID-19 pandemic, and is based on safety and efficacy of treating oxygen failure and preserving oxygen supplies.

Suitable devices:

• Nasal cannulae (2-4 litres/minute)
• Hudson face mask (4-10 litres/minute)
• Non-rebreather mask (10-15 litres/minute)
• CPAP with entrained oxygen (15 litres/minute)
• Respiflo system (up to 98% FiO₂)
• High flow nasal oxygen therapy
• CPAP with humidification

May be suitable:

• Venturi mask (May be suitable in patients who need tight control on their FiO₂ (e.g. COPD)
• Nebuliser (May be suitable in some patients with underlying lung disease (particularly asthma)
• Oxygen humidifiers

Last updated: 10/02/2021