Effect of High-Flow Oxygen Therapy vs Conventional Oxygen Therapy on Invasive Mechanical Ventilation and Clinical Recovery in Patients With Severe COVID-19

critcareedu.com.au January 3, 2022

An overall good trial that supports the use of high flow oxygen therapy in patients with Severe COVID-19.

Randomized controlled trial conducted across three centers in Columbia over 5 months from August 2020 to January 2021. Patients were randomized 1:1 to high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) or conventional oxygen.

It was an unblinded trial, the main investigators were unaware of study group outcomes until unlocking of the database. Web-based randomization, stratified by study site.

Adult patients with suspected or confirmed infection with SARS-CoV-2 and acute respiratory failure, with P/F ratio less than 200, and clinical signs of respiratory distress, including the use of accessory muscles and tachypnea of more than 25/min.

The time interval between fulfilling criteria for respiratory failure and randomization was less than 6 hours.