Effects of High-Flow Nasal Cannula on Exercise Outcomes in Lung Transplant Candidates: A Pilot Study

The study evaluated patients on the national lung transplant waiting list. It was pioneering in assessing high-complexity patients with severe pulmonary diseases subjected to a cardiopulmonary rehabilitation protocol using a treadmill. The main findings indicate that the distance covered in the six-minute walk test was greater when using the high-flow nasal cannula supplementation. The improvement in exercise performance in this group is associated with a reduction in arterial carbon dioxide, optimization of hydrogen potential, and a decrease in dynamic hyperinflation, leading to fewer symptoms of dyspnea.