Efficacy of High-Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy in Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure: Decreased Use of Mechanical Ventilation

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the efficacy of high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy, a promising respiratory support method for acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF). METHODS: We conducted a retrospective single-center cohort study comparing the periods before (June 2010 to May 2012) and after (June 2012 to May 2014) HFNC introduction (pre- and post-HFNC periods). During these periods, we retrieved cases of AHRF treated with any respiratory support (invasive ventilation, noninvasive ventilation [NIV], and HFNC) and compared in-hospital mortality, ICU/intermediate care unit/hospital stay, and need for mechanical ventilation. RESULTS: Eighty-three subjects (65 treated with NIV, and 18 treated with invasive ventilation) and 89 subjects (33 treated with HFNC, 43 treated with NIV, and 13 treated with invasive ventilation) identified from 782 pre-HFNC and 930 post-HFNC records of acute respiratory failure who required emergent admissions to the respiratory care department were analyzed. Overall, the in-hospital mortality rate was similar, although there was a non-significant and slight decrease from 35 to 27% ( P = .26). There was no significant difference among ICU, intermediate care unit ( P = .80), and hospital ( P = .33) stay. In the post-HFNC period, significantly fewer subjects required mechanical ventilation (NIV or invasive ventilation) (100% vs 63%, P < .01). Additionally, there were significantly fewer ventilator days (median [interquartile range] of 5 [2–11] vs 2 [1–5] d, P < .05) and more ventilator-free days (median [interquartile range] of 18 [0–25] vs 26 [20–27] d, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: HFNC might be an alternative for AHRF subjects with NIV intolerance.