When using heliox gas therapy, what is the total flow delivered to a patient at an indicated flow rate of 10 L/min with a 70%/30% mixture?

When using a heliox gas therapy consisting of a 70% helium and 30% oxygen mixture, it is essential to understand that heliox has different density and viscosity properties compared to regular air or oxygen. Helium is much less dense than air and thus allows for a lower resistance to airflow, which results in an increase in total flow compared to the indicated flow rate when using a conventional gas.

To calculate the total flow delivered to the patient, you can apply the principle that the flow of the heliox mixture is effectively increased due to the lower density of helium. The specific correction factor for heliox is often around 1.6 to 2, depending on the flow rates and clinical setting.

At an indicated flow rate of 10 L/min with the stated mixture, the total flow delivered can be approximated using the correction factor. If you use a rough average of 1.6, you can calculate:

10 L/min (indicated flow) x 1.6 (correction factor) = 16 L/min (total flow).

Therefore, the total flow delivered to the patient is indeed 16 L/min, which is accurately reflected in the respective choice. This increased flow helps facilitate better gas exchange due to the less turbulent