COVID-19: High Flow Nasal Cannula and Health Care Worker Infections

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High flow oxygen modalities have been restricted in some institutions due to concern for transmission to health care workers. Endotracheal intubation is one of the most aerosol generating procedures, but the exact risk associated with high flow nasal cannula (HFNC) and non-invasive ventilation is unknown. A 2012 meta-analysis reports on a single study that reported on high flow oxygen, but didn’t provide a definition for this.

We review a study (Westafer et al) that describes trends in health care worker infections at an institution before and after implementation of a protocol that increased use of high flow nasal cannula during the COVID-19 pandemic.