High flow nasal cannula for acute respiratory failure due to COVID‐19 in patients with a ‘do‐not‐intubate’ order: A survival analysis

INTRODUCTION: High flow nasal cannula (HFNC) reduces the need for intubation in patients with hypoxaemic acute respiratory failure (ARF), but its added value in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and a do‐not‐intubate (DNI) order is unknown. We aimed to assess (variables associated with) survival in these patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We described a multicentre retrospective observational cohort study in five hospitals in the Netherlands and assessed the survival in COVID‐19 patients with severe acute respiratory failure and a DNI order who were treated with high flow nasal cannula. We also studied variables associated with survival. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: One‐third of patients survived after 30 days. Survival was 43.9% in the subgroup of patients with a good WHO performance status and only 16.1% in patients with a poor WHO performance status. Patients who were admitted to the hospital for a longer period prior to HFNC initiation were less likely to survive. HFNC resulted in an increase in ROX values, reflective of improved oxygenation and/or decreased respiratory rate. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that a trial of HFNC could be considered to increase chances of survival in patients with ARF due to COVID‐19 pneumonitis and a DNI order, especially in those with a good WHO performance status.