End-of-life home care of an interstitial pneumonia patient supported by high-flow nasal cannula therapy: A case report

BACKGROUND: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy and morphine continuous subcutaneous infusion (CSI) have been used to ameliorate dyspnea in non-cancer patients with end-stage respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and interstitial pneumonia, primarily in hospital settings. However, it is rare to perform home-based medical treatment using these. We observe a case to assess the feasibility of this treatment strategy. CASE SUMMARY: Here, we report a case of a 75-year-old man who was diagnosed with interstitial pneumonia 11 years ago and was successfully nursed at home during his terminal phase for over 10 mo without hospitalization, by introducing domiciliary uses of HFNC and morphine CSI with a patient-controlled analgesia device. CONCLUSION: Active utilization of HFNC and morphine CSI with patient-controlled analgesia device would substantiate successful end-of-life palliative home care of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia patients.