Impact of High-Flow Nasal Cannula Use in Subjects With COVID-19 ARDS at High Altitudes: Clinical Presentation and Prognostic Factors.

Background: High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) reduces the need for intubation in adult subject with acute respiratory failure. Changes in hypobaric hypoxemia have not been studied for subject with an HFNC in ICUs at altitudes > 2,600 m above sea level. In this study, we investigated the efficacy of HFNC treatment in subjects with COVID-19 at high altitudes.

Use of High-Flow Nasal Cannula in Patients With Pneumonia and Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure at Altitudes Above 2600 m: What Is the Best Predictor of Success?

The use of high-flow nasal cannulas (HFNC) in patients with hypoxemic ventilatory failure reduces the need for mechanical ventilation and does not increase mortality when intubation is promptly applied. The aim of the study is to describe the behavior of HFNC in patients who live at high altitudes, and the performance of predictors of success/failure of this strategy. Prospective multicenter cohort study, with patients aged over 18 years recruited for 12 months in 2020 to 21.