Table 2.
Clinical outcomes in the high flow nasal therapy (HFNT) and noninvasive ventilation (NIV) groups
| HFNT group | NIV group | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| N | 40 | 39 | |
| Treatment changes from baseline to 2 h, n (%) | |||
| Switching to NIV or HFNT | 6 (15) | 1 (2.6) | 0.1084 |
| IMV | 0 (0 | 1 (2.6) | 0.4937 |
| No treatment change | 34 (85) | 37 (94.9) | 0.2633 |
| Treatment changes from baseline to 6 h, n (%) | |||
| Switch to NIV or HFNT | 13 (32.5) | 3 (7.7) | 0.0061 |
| Switch to IMV | 1 (2.5) | 1 (2.6) | 1.0000 |
| Switch to no support | 2 (5) | 6 (15.4) | 0.1543 |
| No treatment change | 24 (60) | 29 (74.4) | 0.1745 |
| Poor treatment tolerance/intolerance from baseline to 6 hoursa, n (%) | |||
| In patients switching to NIV or HFNT or IMV | 5 (35.7) | 3 (75) | 0.2745 |
| In patients switching to no support or with no treatment change | 9 (34.6) | 26 (74.3) | 0.0019 |
| Discomfort, median [IQR] | |||
| At 2 ha | 1 [0–2] | 3 [1–5] | 0.0010 |
| At 6 hb | 0 [0–2] | 2 [1–4] | 0.0003 |
| Borg dyspnea score, mean ± SD | |||
| At 2 ha | 3 ± 2 | 3 ± 2 | 0.2509 |
| At 6 hb | 5 ± 2 | 5 ± 2 | 0.4865 |
| No improvement of Borg dyspnea score at 6 h, n (%) | 6 (15) | 6 (15.4) | 0.9620 |
| Respiratory rate (per min), mean ± SD | |||
| At 2 hb | 22 ± 5 | 22 ± 4 | 0.5789 |
| At 6 hc | 20 ± 4 | 21 ± 4 | 0.5573 |
| PaCO2 worsening or reduction < 10 mmHg after 6 h, n (%) | 23 (57.5) | 14 (35.9) | 0.0544 |
| IMV during hospitalizationd | |||
| Subjects, n (%) | 2 (5) | 1 (2.6) | 1.0000 |
| Length of IMV (hours), median [IQR] |
123 [45.5–200] |
166 [166–166] |
1.0000 |
| NIV during hospitalization | |||
| Subjects, n (%) | 23 (57.5) | 39 (100.0) | < .0001 |
| Length of NIV (hours), median [IQR] |
70 [14–142] |
48 [18–75] |
0.3007 |
| Length of hospital stay (days), median [IQR] | |||
| All patients | 10 [9–19] | 13 [9–16] | 0.6579 |
| Survivors at hospital discharge | 10 [9–19] | 13 [9–16] | 0.5510 |
| Dead at hospital discharge | 16 [9–22] | 15 [3–19] | 0.6150 |
| In-hospital mortality, n (%) | 2 (5) | 6 (15.4) | 0.1543 |
HFNT high flow nasal therapy, IQR interquartile range [first and third quartile], IMV invasive mechanical ventilation, NIV noninvasive ventilation
aPoor tolerance was defined as patient-reported complaint to the assigned treatment that did not cause treatment interruption. Intolerance was defined as patient-reported complaint that compromised the pursuit of the treatment (i.e., subject refusal)
bOutcome evaluated on patients still receiving the assigned treatment at 2 h (34 HFNT, 37 NIV)
cOutcome evaluated on patients still receiving the assigned treatment at 6 h (24 HFNT, 29 NIV)
dIMV during hospitalization was calculated from baseline from hospital discharge or death