Humidified and standard oxygen therapy in acute severe asthma in children: a randomised controlled pilot trial (HUMOX)

Background: Oxygen (O2) is a mainstay of treatment in acute severe asthma. While there are physiological reasons why O2 should be warmed and humidified, how O2 is administered in the UK and Europe varies widely. Aim: To examine whether a trial comparing different humidified O2 to standard O2 is feasible, and specifically obtain data on accrual, adherence and outcome measure stability. Methods: Children 2-16yrs attending AE 23, 6-16yrs) recruited at 4 sites. See Table for results; all data are mean (95%CI). ASS decreased in all three groups similarly following randomisation. Conclusions: This is the first RCT to compare humidified and standard O2 therapy in acute severe asthma in children. With the caveat that these are pilot data, children treated with heated humidified O2 received more nebulised treatment and were more likely to have their treatment escalated. These findings and accompanying screening data will inform a future definitive clinical trial.