Liberalizing Maximum High-Flow Nasal Cannula Flow Rates in the General Inpatient Ward Is Associated With Decreased Intensive Care Admissions for Infants With Bronchiolitis.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the use of intensive care for infants with bronchiolitis following a policy change increasing the rate maximums for high-flow oxygen given by nasal cannula [high-flow nasal cannula (HFNC)] allowable in the inpatient (IP) ward setting.

METHODS

This was a retrospective pre-post cohort study at an urban, tertiary care children's hospital. Infants without complex chronic conditions presenting to the emergency department with bronchiolitis from December 2018 to March 2019 and December 2019 to March 2020 were included in the study. In December 2019, our institution increased the allowable HFNC flow rate on IP to 2 liters per minute/kilogram. The primary outcome was patient disposition from the emergency department. Secondary outcomes were the need for IP to pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) transfer, the need for care escalation to positive airway pressure or invasive mechanical ventilation, and hospital length of stay.

RESULTS

In total, 1043 and 1104 patients were included in the 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020 cohorts, respectively. Infants in the second cohort were more likely to be admitted, though this association was not significant after adjusting for patient age and triage acuity. Infants in the second cohort had a lower risk of admission to the PICU, before and after adjusting for age and triage acuity. The risk of IP-to-PICU transfer, risk of care escalation, and length of stay did not increase.

CONCLUSIONS

Increasing HFNC flow rates up to 2 liters per minute/kilogram on IP wards was associated with a reduction in intensive care admission and appears safe by balancing measures of care escalation.