Ward-based CPAP ‘safe and effective’ in COVID-19 respiratory failure
Australian doctors describe for the first time how they implemented ward-based therapy for patients who needed critical care
Ward-based CPAP for patients with severe COVID-19 can have equivalent mortality to CPAP delivered in ICU, NSW physicians report.
Results from a single-centre experience during the Delta variant wave in mid-2021, suggest that a ward-based approach might also ease the workload of healthcare workers, they say.
“As CPAP can reduce progression to invasive ventilation, our data [suggest] we can take steps on a medical ward to reduce the need for more invasive and resource hungry therapies,” write Dr Benjamin Gerhardy and colleagues from the Nepean Hospital, Kingswood.
The team used data from 137 patients with COVID-19 (median age 54) admitted from July to September last year to assess the safety and efficacy of CPAP therapy in a ward environment.
