Evidence
1. Oxygen therapy
Response of cluster headache attacks to oxygen inhalation (1981)
Kudrow L
This study involved 52 cluster headache patients and evaluated their response to oxygen inhalation. 100% oxygen was administered at the onset of attacks through a facial mask at a rate of 7 litres per minute for 15 minutes. Oxygen therapy was found to be effective in relieving symptoms.
High oxygen flow rates for cluster headache (2004)
Rozen TD
In this study Todd Rozen, MD examined the effect of treating patients who had not responded to standard oxygen therapy regimens with higher flow rates of oxygen (up to 15 litres/minute). It found the higher rates to be effective among these patients.
High-Flow Oxygen for Treatment of Cluster Headache: A Randomized Trial (2009)
Anna S. Cohen; Brian Burns; Peter J. Goadsby
Fifty-seven patients with episodic cluster headache and 19 with chronic cluster headache took part in this analysis. It concluded that cluster headache patients who inhaled high-flow oxygen therapy at the onset of symptoms were more likely to be pain-free after 15 minutes than patients who took a placebo.
2. Oxygen delivery system performance
Southmedic Oxymask™ compared with the Hudson RCI® Non-Rebreather Mask™: safety and performance comparison (2016)
Keith Lamb RRT-ACCS, David Piper PE
This study set out to examine whether an OxyMask would overcome safety concerns of a traditional non-rebreather mask (NRBM), including hypoxia and ineffective carbon dioxide removal. Bench studies were performed in a third-party laboratory. The study found that the OxyMask outperforms the NRBM in each tested category.
Oxygen therapy for cluster headache. A mask comparison trial. A single-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover study (2016)
Anja S Petersen, Mads CJ Barloese, Nunu LT Lund and Rigmor H Jensen
This trial investigated the possible differences in effect between three different types of mask in the treatment of cluster headache. Fifty-seven patients took part in the study, which concluded that demand valve oxygen was significantly better at achieving pain relief at 15 minutes in the first attack. It found that the Ultraflow™ oxygen demand valve system reduced attack durations more than the other oxygen delivery methods.