Abstract
High frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) was first described in 1959. It has had variable uptake in critical care with greater use in neonatal and paediatric intensive care units (ICU) than in adults1. In this issue, Boots et al2 describe the use of HFOV across a wide spectrum of patients with severe respiratory failure due to pandemic H1N1 influenza. Units from across Australia and New Zealand contributed data regarding patients admitted during the pandemic. The fact that there is an established network and organisational structure for the study of intensive care outcomes in Australia and New Zealand facilitated the rapid mobilisation of resources to gather data on the intensive care effects of the pandemic, and those involved should be congratulated. Other data on the impact of pandemic H1N1 on Australian ICUs in 2009 have already been published3.