Clinical trial · Interventional
Management of Breathlessness with High-flow Nasal Therapy or a Fan
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Airflow directed to the face by a fan is shown to relief breathlessness in palliative care and some studies have suggested High-Flow nasal airflow therapy beneficial as well. However, these two treatments have not been compared. 40 patients with advanced cancer and breathlessness are recruited from Tampere University Hospital or Pirkanmaa Hospice. All patients are treated with two therapies: 1. High-Flow nasal airflow therapy with a nasal cannula and 2. airflow directed to the face by a fan. Both treatment periods last 30 minutes or as long as the patient wish to use the therapy. The effects of the therapies on breathlessness are compared by asking the subjective relief of breathlessness after each therapies. The study do not limit any other therapies used in the normal clinical care for the patients. Thus, all the other therapies the physicians taking care of the patient orders are permitted. Hopefully, the patients achieve relief for their breathlessness through the study treatments given in addition to their normal treatment. There are no significant risks related to the therapies, but they may cause some inconveniences such as mouth dryness. These possible side-effects of the therapies are asked as well.
Conditions
Conditions (2)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Breathlessness | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Cancer | Malignant Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.90 |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airflow directed to face by a fan | Device | — | UNRESOLVED |
| High-flow nasal therapy | Device | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Fan first
- description
- Patients use the fan first and high-flow nasal therapy thereafter
- interventionNames
- Device: High-flow nasal therapy
- Device: Airflow directed to face by a fan
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- High-flow nasal therapy first
- description
- Patients use high-flow nasal therapy first and the fan thereafter
- interventionNames
- Device: High-flow nasal therapy
- Device: Airflow directed to face by a fan
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Breathlessness after the study treatments (difference between the High-Flow Nasal Therapy and a fan)
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Advanced cancer * At least 18 years of age * Breathlessness (At least 3 on a NRS-scale from 0 to 10) * Capable to understand the study and to give informed consent * Do not benefit from ICU treatment or resuscitation defined by the physician taking care of the patient Exclusion Criteria: * Insufficient co-operation for the study treatment or to give informed consent * Oxygen saturation under 88 % on room air * Need for other device to treat the breathlessness * The reason of breathlessness can be immediately treated
References
Publications (1)
- DERIVEDLeivo-Korpela S, Rantala HA, Lehtimaki L, Piili RP, Hasala H, Korhonen T, Lehto JT. Management of Dyspnea With High-Flow Nasal Air or Fan-A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2026 Jan;71(1):8-15. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2025.08.033. Epub 2025 Sep 4. PMID 40914402