Objective: To assess efficacy and safety of High flow nasal cannula therapy (HFNC) as primary mode of treatment for children with respiratory distress.
Methods: Consecutive patients (1 mo-16 years) with respiratory distress were assessed for respiratory clinical score, COMFORT score and saturation to FiO2 (SF) ratio.
Results: A total of 188 (91.7%) patients out of 205 responded to HFNC alone. The respiratory clinical score and COMFORT score were lower with higher SF ratio in these than 17 patients who required ventilation (P<0.001). Median (IQR) time to failure was 2 (1.75-24) hours. Air leak was seen in 2 (1%) patients.
Conclusion: HFNC is an effective and safe primary mode of respiratory support in children with respiratory distress. Children who succeed on HFNC show a favorable clinical response within first few hours.