Patterns of Use of Heated Humidified High-Flow Nasal Cannula Therapy in PICUs in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

To 1) describe patterns of use of high-flow nasal cannula therapy, 2) examine differences between patients started on high-flow nasal cannula and those started on noninvasive ventilation, and 3) explore whether patients who failed high-flow nasal cannula therapy were different from those who did not. Retrospective analysis of data collected prospectively by the Paediatric Intensive Care Audit Network. All PICUs in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland (n = 34). Admissions to study PICUs (2015-2016) receiving any form of respiratory support at any time during PICU stay. None. Eligible admissions were classified into nine groups based on the combination of the first-line and second-line respiratory support modes. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to test the association between PICU and patient characteristics and two outcomes: 1) use of high-flow nasal cannula versus noninvasive ventilation as first-line mode and 2) high-flow nasal cannula failure, requiring escalation to noninvasive ventilation and/or invasive ventilation. We analyzed data from 26,423 admissions; high-flow nasal cannula was used in 5,951 (22.5%) at some point during the PICU stay. High-flow nasal cannula was used for first-line support in 2,080 (7.9%) and postextubation support in 978 admissions (4.5% of patients extubated after first-line invasive ventilation). High-flow nasal cannula failure occurred in 559 of 2,080 admissions (26.9%) when used for first-line support. Uni- and multivariate analyses showed that PICU characteristics as well as patient age, primary diagnostic group, and admission type had a significant influence on the choice of first-line mode (high-flow nasal cannula or noninvasive ventilation). Younger age, unplanned admission, and higher admission severity of illness were independent predictors of high-flow nasal cannula failure. The use of high-flow nasal cannula is common in PICUs in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland. Variation in the choice of first-line respiratory support mode (high-flow nasal cannula or noninvasive ventilation) between PICUs reflects the need for clinical trial evidence to guide future practice.