High Flow Therapy for the Treatment of Respiratory Failure in the ED

The overall objective of this study is to determine if Vapotherm high flow nasal cannula therapy (HFT), when used to treat respiratory failure in the ED, is at least equivalent to the current standard of care for non-invasive ventilatory support, non-invasive positive pressure mask ventilation (NIPPV). Moreover, this study will investigate the potential that HFT has possible advantages over NIPPV, such as decreased time to patient stability from respiratory failure, and the ease of use as a first line intervention for respiratory failure in the ED environment. The hypothesis is that HFT via the Vapotherm Precision Flow will demonstrate clinical non-inferiority when compared to NIPPV with regard to treatment failure by way of an impact on ventilation indices and a lower intolerance rate, and have a positive association with hospital disposition and length of stay.