Adaptation of a respiratory service to provide CPAP for patients with COVID-19 pneumonia, outside of a critical care setting, in a district general hospital.

Introduction: One-hundred and forty patients at Croydon University Hospital received continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) on a specialist respiratory ward, as a bridge to invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) or as a ceiling of care for COVID-19. This retrospective study aimed to outline service expansion, patient characteristics and explore risk factors in outcomes.

Results: Mean age of patients on CPAP was 64 years (standard deviation 12).