High-flow nasal oxygen vs. conventional oxygen therapy in patients with COVID-19 related acute hypoxemic respiratory failure and a do not intubate order: a multicentre cohort study

Daphne J.T. Sjauw, Lisa M. Hessels, NORMO2 project group, Dutch HFNO study group, Marieke L. Duiverman, Judith Elshof, Matthijs L. Janssen, Yasemin Türk, Leo Heunks, Sara J. Baart, Evert Jan Wils*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

2 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Background: 

High-flow nasal oxygen (HFNO) is frequently used to treat patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF) due to viral pneumonia, including COVID-19. However, its clinical effect compared to conventional oxygen therapy (COT) remains largely unexplored in patients with a do not intubate (DNI) order. We aimed to assess whether HFNO compared to COT is associated with improved clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with AHRF due to COVID-19 and a DNI order. 

Methods:

This analysis included patients with a DNI order and SARS-CoV-2 infection, selected from three observational studies, who were treated with COT only or HFNO. The primary endpoint was in-hospital mortality, the secondary endpoint was hospital length of stay (LOS). The effect of HFNO vs. COT was assessed using multivariable regression, accounting for pre-selected confounders. 

Results: 

Between March 2020 and September 2021, 116 patients received HFNO and 110 patients received COT. Median age was 78 [72–83], and 78% of the patients had a Clinical Frailty Scale score of 4 to 9. In-hospital mortality was 64% for HFNO and 71% for COT (p = 0.29), with an adjusted odds ratio of 0.72 (95% confidence interval [0.34–1.54], p = 0.40). Hospital LOS was 11 [6–18] days for HFNO, and 7 [4–12] days for COT (p < 0.001), with a remaining difference after adjusting for confounders (p < 0.01). 

Conclusion: 

The lack of survival benefit and increased hospital LOS should be taken into account when considering HFNO for patients with a DNI order, suffering from AHRF due to viral pneumonia, like COVID-19. Clinical trial registration : HFNO-COVID-19 study: DTR, NL9067 (Dutch Trial Registry), registration date: 27-11-2020.

Original languageEnglish
Article number161
JournalRespiratory Research
Volume26
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2025

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2025.

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