High Flow Nasal Cannula Versus Non-invasive Ventilation in Prevention of Escalation to Invasive Mechanical Ventilation in Patients With Acute Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure

Oxygen therapy is first-line treatment in the management of acute respiratory failure (ARF). Different oxygen devices have become available over recent decades, such as low-flow systems (nasal cannula, simple facemask, non-rebreathing reservoir mask) and high-flow systems (Venturi mask) . Since the 90's, non-invasive ventilation (NIV) has been largely used with strong level of evidence in cardiogenic pulmonary edema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbation. NIV improves gas exchange and reduces inspiratory effort through positive pressure. However, good tolerance to NIV is sometimes difficult to achieve due to frequent leaks around the mask, possibly leading to patient-ventilator asynchrony and even to intubation . High-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNO) is an innovative high-flow system that allows for delivering up to 60 liters\\ min of heated and fully humidified gas with a FIO2 ranging between 21% and 100% . It is a new method of respiratory support in adults that has been used in neonatal ARF for some years. The reason this study is necessary is because, even though NIV has been demonstrated to prevent endotracheal intubation (and its associated complications) in a broad range of ARF patients, HFNC has been proposed to have the same effect as NIV while being easier tolerated, more physiological , allowing patients to continue to talk, eat and drink through mouth while on HFNC