Fan-on-Face Therapy in Relieving Dyspnea of Adult Terminally Ill Cancer Patients: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract Introduction Dyspnea is often encountered in terminally ill cancer patients and is attributed to multiple factors. The use of fan-on-face therapy is a nonpharmacologic adjunct treatment for adult cancer patients suffering from dyspnea at the end-of-life. This study was done to determine if the use of fan-on-face therapy in addition to the standard of care treatment indeed confers clinical benefit to terminally ill adult cancer patients with dyspnea. Materials and Methods A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on the use of fan-on-face therapy in relieving dyspnea among terminally ill adult cancer patients was performed. A computerized search was done in MEDLINE, NICE, CENTRAL, Science Direct, and Google Scholar for relevant articles. Other publications were searched, and authors were contacted for additional information. The primary outcome measure was the mean change in dyspnea score, determined by the Modified Borg Scale, Numeric Rating Scale, or Visual Analog Scale. The secondary outcome was the post-intervention mean change in respiratory rate (RR). Results Four eligible randomized controlled trials of low to moderate risk of bias employed a total of 139 cancer patients. Fan-on-face therapy was effective in decreasing mean dyspnea scores (standard mean difference = −1.81, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −3.12, −0.50, p < 0.00001, I 2 93%) and improving mean change in RR (mean difference = −0.91, 95% CI: −1.68, −0.15; p = 0.001, I 2 = 81%) versus control. Conclusion Fan-on-face therapy, as an adjunct to standard of care, is effective in alleviating dyspnea among adult cancer patients during the end of life.