Late Breaking Abstract - Comparison of High Flow Nasal Cannula with Noninvasive Ventilation in Facilitating Weaning COPD From Invasive Ventilation: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Study

Background: High flow nasal cannula (HFNC) reduces dead space and work of breathing in COPD, but its role in weaning COPD from invasive ventilation is unknown. We intend to compare HFNC with noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in weaning COPD. Methods: AECOPD hypercapnia patients who were ready for extubation were recruited to receive HFNC or NIV randomly in a medical ICU. Results: 36 patients were enrolled and consented (fig.1). There was no difference between HFNC and NIV group in the rate of treatment failure (15.8% vs 5.9%, P=0.61), actual reintubation rate (10.5% vs 5.9%, P=1.0), vital signs and ABGs (fig.2). In HFNC group, comfort scores were higher [4.0(2.0,5.0) vs 6.0(3.5, 7.5), p= 0.04] and fewer patients needed bronchoscopy for secretion management within 48 hours after extubation (5.3% vs 41.2%, P=0.02). Conclusion: HFNC is an effective alternative to NIV in facilitating weaning COPD.