Non-rebreather mask | |
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Acronym | NRB |
Synonyms | non-rebreather, non-rebreather facemask |
Specialty | emergency medicine, anaesthesiology, pulmonology |
Intervention | Oxygen therapy |
Related items | Nasal cannula |
A non-rebreather mask (NRB, non-rebreather, non-rebreather facemask, etc.) is a device used in medicine to assist in the delivery of oxygen therapy. A NRB requires that the patient can breathe unassisted, but unlike a low-flow nasal cannula, the NRB allows for the delivery of higher concentrations of oxygen. An ideal non-rebreather mask does not permit air from the surrounding environment to be inhaled, hence an event of a source gas failure (e.g., the oxygen tank being drained completely) is life-threatening.