Utility of High Flow Nasal Cannula during Pulmonary Rehabilitation in COVID-19 Patients in Acute Respiratory Failure

Abstract

High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) has often been used in the treatment of acute respiratory failure during pulmonary rehabilitation setting. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the utility of HCFN during the early rehabilitation in COVID-19 pneumonia. Twenty-two patients (10 males and 12 females, mean age 64.5 ± 5.9 years) with COVID-19 pneumonia were considered. Medical data and rehabilitative scales were used to evaluate acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (PaO2/FiO2 p p p p p p p p < 0.05). Then, treated HFNC patients showed a good improvement in physical performance at T2 and a good compliance with treatments proved to be extremely useful in the control and reduction of dyspnea and fatigue symptoms.

Keywords

• COVID-19
• rehabilitation
• pulmonary
• exercise