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Updated: Aug 19, 2025

A Protocol to Set Up Needle-Free Connector with Positive Displacement on Central Venous Catheter in Intensive Care Unit
Published on: July 13, 2019
High-flow cannula for frail patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection non-eligible for intensive care unit management
L Bouetard1, T Flamand2, D Vignes3
1Infectious Diseases Department, Antoine Beclere University Hospital, APHP, Paris, France; Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, INSERM U1018, CESP, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, France.
Objectives:
High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) was widely used during the COVID-19 pandemic in intensive care units (ICU), but there is no recommendation for elderly patients non-eligible for ICU management. We aimed to describe the outcomes of HFNC treatment in patients with COVID-19 who are not eligible for ICU management.
Methods:
Retrospective bicentric cohort study performed between September 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 in two infectious diseases departments of Colmar Hospital and Antoine Beclere University Hospital, France.
Results:
Sixty-four patients were treated with HFNC: 33 in Colmar and 31 in Beclere hospital (median age: 85 years; IQ, 82-92). Of these, 16 patients survived (25%). Surviving patients had a lower Charlson comorbidity index score than deceased patients (five vs six; p = 0.02).
Conclusions:
Despite a high death rate, with survivors being younger and having fewer comorbidities, HFNC is an easy tool to implement in non-ICU wards for the frailest patients.
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