Minerva anestesiologica
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Minerva anestesiologica · Nov 2023
Feasibility, safety and efficacy of COVID-19 severe acute respiratory distress syndrome management without invasive mechanical ventilation.
COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is often managed with mechanical ventilation (MV), requiring sedation and paralysis, with associated risk of complications. There is limited evidence on the use of high flow nasal cannula (HFNC). We hypothesized that management of COVID-19 ARDS without MV is feasible. ⋯ It is safe to monitor in ICU and use HFNC in patients affected by COVID-19 ARDS who initially present data suggesting an early need for intubation. The 41 patients admitted with a PaO
2 /FiO2 ratio <100 and initially treated only with HFNC show a 22% mortality that is in the lower range of what is reported in recent literature.