High flow nasal catheter as an auxiliary tool in the treatment of COVID-19
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14295/vittalle.v35i1.15205Keywords:
ventilação não invasiva, COVID-19, cânula, oxigenoterapiaAbstract
High-flow nasal catheter therapy (HFNC) has been increasingly used because it is a non-invasive method and helps in the treatment of acute respiratory disorders. The aim was to evaluate the use of HFNC in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection. Method: Retrospective cross-sectional observational study of quantitative analysis that evaluated the medical records of patients admitted to an adult COVID-19 ward of a university hospital in the extreme south of Brazil from August 2020 to July 2021. A total of 78 patients used the CNAF during the evaluated period, with 41 patients registering respiratory effort at the beginning of therapy and 38 were intubated after using HFNC. The length of hospital stay was not significantly different when comparing patients older or younger than 60 years (> 60 years 15.7 ± 10.9 days, <60 years 18.8 ± 18.4 days, p = 0.79) and different types of lung involvement (>50% 17.19 ± 14.1 days, <50% 19.13 ± 21.4 days, p= 0.81). The length of hospital stay in patients who used HFNC therapy was not different when comparing the severity of the disease and the age of the patients. HFNC is a tool that seems to provide benefits to patients, however, there are divergences regarding its use in different clinical conditions.