EFFICIENCY OF OXYGEN THERAPY BY HEAD BOX FOR ACUTE RESPIRATORY FAILURE IN INFANTS

Oxygen therapy is the main treatment method for acute respiratory failure in children. The method consisting in the administration of oxygen therapy by head box to infants is frequently used in pediatric practice. Objectives. To evaluate the effi ciency of oxygen therapy administered by head box to infants suffering from pneumogenic acute respiratory failure by comparing two methods for measuring hemoglobin oxygen saturation: in arterialized capillary blood and by pulse oximetry. Material and method. 30 infants suffering from pneumogenic acute respiratory failure were studied. We used a clinical appraisal score for acute respiratory failure, which appraises respiratory rate, nasal fl aring, recession, cyanosis, sensorial, before and after oxygen therapy. In arterialized capillary blood we measured partial pressure of oxygen and hemoglobin oxygen saturation, and we used an Automatic Blood Gas System analyzer. We also measured hemoglobin oxygen saturation using a pulse oximeter. Determinations were made before the initiation of oxygen therapy, and 30 minutes and 60 minutes after the initiation of oxygen therapy. Results. As compared to the baseline values, determined before the initiation of oxygen therapy, we recorded a statistically signifi cant improvement in the clinical score both after 30 minutes and 60 minutes from the initiation of oxygen therapy (p