Background: Invasive mechanical ventilation is the treatment of choice in COVID-19 patients when hypoxemia persists, despite maximum conventional oxygen administration. Some frail patients with severe hypoxemic respiratory failure are deemed not eligible for invasive mechanical ventilation.
Objectives: To investigate whether High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) in the wards could serve as a rescue therapy in these frail patients.
Methods: This retrospective cohort study included frail COVID-19 patients admitted to the hospital between March 9th and May 1st 2020. HFNC therapy was started in the wards. The primary endpoint was the survival rate at hospital discharge.
Results: Thirty-two patients with a median age of 79.0 years (74.5-83.0) and a Clinical Frailty Score of 4 out of 9 (3-6) were included. Only 6% reported HFNC tolerability issues. The overall survival rate was 25% at hospital discharge.
Conclusions: This study suggests that, when preferred, HFNC in the wards could be a potential rescue therapy for respiratory failure in vulnerable COVID-19 patients.
Keywords: COVID-19; Frailty; High-flow Nasal Cannula; Intensive care unit.
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