Table 3.
Confidence in the relative risk of each comparison and outcome assessed by the GRADE system for short-term mortality, reintubation, and post-extubation respiratory failure
| Risk of bias across studies | Imprecision | Heterogeneity | Indirectness | Publication bias | Incoherence | Confidence in relative risk of the event | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-term mortality | |||||||
| NIV vs. COT | Undetected |
Very seriousa (95% CI 0.53–1.06) |
No concern (95% PI 0.51–1.11) |
Low | Not suggested |
No concern (p = 0.33) |
⨁⨁◯◯ Low |
| HFNC vs. COT | Undetected |
Seriousb (95% CI 0.67–1.27) |
No concern (95% PI 0.64–1.33) |
Low | Not suggested |
No concern (p = 0.33) |
⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate |
| HFNC vs. NIV | Undetected |
Seriousb (95% CI 0.61–1.08) |
No concern (95% PI 0.58–1.13) |
Low | Not suggested |
No concern (p = 0.33) |
⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate |
| Reintubation | |||||||
| NIV vs. COT | Undetected |
Seriousb (95% CI 0.30–1.00) |
Some concernc (95% PI 0.16–1.84) |
Low | Not suggested |
No concern (p = 0.58) |
⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate |
| HFNC vs. COT | Undetected |
Not serious (95% CI 0.32–0.89) |
Major concernd (95% PI 0.17–1.70) |
Low | Not suggested |
No concern (p = 0.58) |
⨁⨁⨁⨁ High |
| HFNC vs. NIV | Undetected |
Very seriousa (95% CI 0.53–1.97) |
No concern (95% PI 0.29–3.55) |
Low | Not suggested |
No concern (p = 0.58) |
⨁⨁◯◯ Low |
| Post-extubation respiratory failure | |||||||
| NIV vs. COT | Undetected |
Very seriousa (95% CI 0.54–1.38) |
No concern (95% PI 0.29–2.58) |
Low | Not suggested |
No concern (p = 0.56) |
⨁⨁◯◯ Low |
| HFNC vs. COT | Undetected |
Seriousb (95% CI 0.43–1.02) |
Some concernc (95% PI 0.23–1.92) |
Low | Not suggested |
No concern (p = 0.56) |
⨁⨁⨁◯ Moderate |
| HFNC vs. NIV | Undetected |
Very seriousa (95% CI 0.79–2.14) |
No concern (95% PI 0.42–3.98) |
Low | Not suggested |
No concern (p = 0.56) |
⨁⨁◯◯ Low |
CI confidence interval, COT conventional oxygen therapy, HFNC high-flow nasal therapy, NIV noninvasive ventilation, PI prediction interval
aConfidence interval extends into clinically important effects in both directions
bConfidence interval extends into clinically important effects
cPrediction interval extends into clinically important or unimportant effects
dPrediction interval extends into clinically important effects in both directions