High Flow Nasal Cannula Versus Non-Invasive Ventilation

High flow nasal cannula (HFNC) is increasingly used in patients with acute respiratory failure, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. A recent study aimed to determine the non-inferiority of HFNC compared to non-invasive ventilation (NIV) regarding rates of intubation or death within seven days. The study involved 1,800 patients across multiple centers, and results showed that primary outcomes were similar between the two groups, with 39% in the HFNC group and 38.1% in the NIV group experiencing the composite outcome. However, caution is advised, especially with the immunocompromised patient population, where recruitment was stopped early due to futility, indicating the need for further research to clarify the efficacy of HFNC in diverse clinical scenarios.